The LSU sand volleyball team concluded its regular season Sunday with a two-game split while honoring seniors Helen Boyle and Laura Whalen on senior day at Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers (14-9) concluded the Battle on the Bayou Tournament by splitting their two Sunday matches. The team won its first match against UL-Monroe, 3-2, but later fell to Tulane by the same score.
Boyle finished her career with a loss in three sets against Tulane, but that didn’t stop the team from recognizing all she has done as a player. She wrapped up her senior year with an 11-3 record with her pairs partner, freshman Cheyenne Wood.
“It’s not possible to explain how much Helen and Laura have done for our program,” said LSU coach Russell Brock. “When you have nothing, to have two seniors come over already being established in a successful program like indoor volleyball and help these younger players was instrumental to our season’s success.”
Against ULM, junior Katie Lindelow and freshman Mandi Orellana lost in straight sets, 21-11, 21-18. Sophomore Emma Hiller and freshman Riley Young also lost in straight sets by a score of 22-20, 21-18. But the No. 2, 3, and 4 pairs were able to win their sets to take home the victory.
Lindelow and Orellana, along with Leak and Molle, got two wins against Tulane, 21-19, 15-21, 15-11, and 21-13, 21-14. However, the Tigers’ final three pairs all suffered losses against the Green Wave.
“We fought really hard today,” Brock said. “We’re only a second-year program playing against well-established teams, either losing by really close three-set matches or winning. So we have a lot to be proud of going forward.”
The Tigers are excited about the direction of the young program after capping off the team’s first winning season.
“We’re headed far,” Leak said. “Next year we have more people coming in, bringing depth to our only sand group, so we’re excited about how far we can actually go.”
The team has 22 players returning to the team next year, not including the incoming freshman. Brock said the team expects to be a top-10 program next year.
“Our confidence has changed a lot,” Boyle said. “We had a lot of girls struggling with confidence at the beginning because we had a bunch of new girls with sand volleyball, but once they got a feel for it, they were OK.”
You can reach Malcolm Poree on Twitter @MalcolmP_TDR