The Tigers started the second and final day of The Tiger Beach Challenge Sunday and walked away with 5-0 wins against The University of North Alabama and Southeastern Louisiana University respectively.
Over the weekend, LSU faced five different schools for a total of 25 matches; out of the 25 only one pair lost a match. The loss was against South Carolina on Saturday. LSU finished the weekend 5-0 and moved to 9-0 overall on the season.
“I think the sets that we’ve lost have been ones where we battled and we’ve been trying to do the things we’re working on,” said head coach Russell Brock. “A lot of the times, you may even be more vulnerable at this time of the year because we’re trying to do the things we train, and it’s not necessarily comfortable, but we need to see it in live action. So we’re willing to kind of risk it in that way to be able to be better in the long haul. If you can play that way, train that way, and still be in the position we’re in, that’s always really encouraging.”
The Tigers took to the sand against North Alabama to begin their day of gameplay. They only dropped one set during their 5-0 win.
Court 5 featured Cassidy Chambers and Amber Haynes. The pair led for most of the opening set and took it 21-14. The second set was a battle. Neither side was able to produce many scoring runs, but The Tigers won a 21-19 second set to grab the match win.
“Amber and Cassidy have been getting better every weekend,” said Brock. “A lot of what they’re doing—what I’m really proud of—isn’t necessarily technique, it’s about interacting. How they’re partnering as they play. They’re a great example in that because they’re really investing in time off the sand to make sure that their relationship on the sand is as productive as possible.”
Ella Larkin and Lara Boos opened gameplay on Court 4 with a quick 10-6 lead. The Tigers led throughout the set and closed it out 21-15, putting LSU up 2-0 over North Alabama.
The opening set on Court 3 was tied during most of the first half for Hannah Brister and Reilly Allred, but they went on to win the set 21-15. The pair got off to a good start in set two and worked up to a 16-10 lead. They took the set 21-13.
Looking to avenge their loss against South Carolina from the previous night, Grace Seits and Parker Bracken took to Court 2 with determination. They took the first set 21-13. The second set had the pair fighting a little harder as they were down 14-16 late. They were able to tie it up 19-19. With a come-behind win, Seits and Bracken closed the second set 21-19 to take the match 2-0.
The final match against North Alabama featured the Sandy Tig’s Court 1 pair, Kylie DeBerg and Ellie Shank. The Tigers led the first set the entire time, and they ended it 21-14. North Alabama took the second set 21-18, despite the Tigers tying it up 17-17. A tie-breaking third set was underway when DeBerg and Shank broke out to a 10-5 lead. With a 15-7 third set win, the pair walked away with a 2-1 win over North Alabama.
The Tigers had a few hours to rest until they were back in action on the sand against SLU. The stands were full of LSU and SLU fans, so the crowd was energetic for an in-state matchup.
A new pairing of Melia Lindner and Brooke Blutreich took on Court 5 for the Tiger’s first match against SLU. The first set was a slow start for LSU as they trailed 11-14, but The Tigers tied it up 15-15. The set went into extra points, and The Tigers took the first set 23-21 after a joust at the net ended in favor of LSU.
The second set had much cleaner volleyball as Lindner and Blutreich got off to an early 9-5 lead. After a few blocks by Lindner and rips down the line by Blutreich, the pair took the second set 21-13 to put LSU on the board 1-0 against SLU.
Court 4 had Chamber and Haynes in the sand, and the duo held the lead the entire set. With a large lead of 19-11, the set ended on a 2-1 run by LSU. During the second set, the Tiger pair had to fight harder after SLU was tied it up 12-12. Defense was definitely shining for the duo; Chambers had a few one-arm stabs at the ball, including one that set up Haynes perfectly for a crossbody kill. A block from Chambers on set point gave LSU the second set 21-16, securing another win against SLU.
Larkin and Boos were up on Court 3 for the Tigers, and the first set featured a heavy display of defensive efforts. As a pair of two primarily defensive players, Larkin showed off her indoor libero skills while Boos continued to cover every inch of the court. The duo took the first set 21-14 before entering a second set full of more defensive fights. During the second set, Boos threw herself over an LSU mat to save a ball that ended in a Tiger point, putting the pair at 18-11. A throwdown by Larkin sealed the match, giving LSU the second set 21-12.
Larkin and Boos have been between Courts 3 and 4 throughout the start of this season. A jump in courts hasn’t changed the outcome for the pair, though, as they are currently undefeated in matches.
“The 3-4’s, Ella and Lara. I mean, they just keep cruising,” said Brock. “They keep doing their job and winning, and they don’t get tested very often and I know at some point it’ll happen. They’re going to have to win a match that maybe they’re outsized or outmatched, and they’re capable. I think the building of the confidence is really important.”
Seits and Bracken remained on Court 2 for the match against SLU. The pair took a convincing 8-1 lead to open up the first set and finished it off 21-11. The second set opened up with a back-and-forth exchange of points before LSU broke off to a 15-10 lead. Seits and Bracken were able to take the second set 21-15 to secure another win against the SLU Lions.
The last match of The Tiger Beach Challenge was on Court 1 with Kylie DeBerg and Ellie Shank. The pair continued their hot play from Saturday and led the first set until SLU came back to close the gap 11-10. Shank didn’t let that stop her from showing incredible defense as she threw herself onto the next court for a ball to set up DeBerg for the kill. The Tigers went up 18-13 before taking the first set 21-14.
DeBerg opened the second set with a kill off an SLU overpass, followed by back-to-back, one-armed saves from her and Shank. Despite the defensive efforts, SLU kept up with the Tigers and took an 11-7 lead after two aces in a row. The set was full of lead changes, but DeBerg and Shank walked away with a tight set two win, ending it 21-19.
With the conclusion of The Tiger Beach Challenge, DeBerg and Shank showed the beach volleyball world how dominant they can be. Despite dropping a couple sets in the first few weeks of season, the pair is only getting better.
“I think obviously our 1’s are really, really good,” said Brock. “I haven’t seen anybody play like they played last night against South Carolina around here in a long time. And that says a lot because Kristen [Nuss] and Taryn [Cloth] were incredibly dominant a couple seasons ago.”
LSU travels to Fort Worth, Texas, this weekend to compete in the Horned Frog Challenge. The Tigers will face Southern Mississippi and Texas Christian University on Friday, followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville and another match against TCU on Saturday.
“I think if we can go in there and compete and play the right way, we’ve got a great chance to pull something off, but either way this is more about us getting, really, our first test of the top of the food chain in beach volleyball,” said Brock.
