The LSU volleyball team took down Alabama on Sunday in a four-set skirmish that saw the achievement of a slew of individual and team goals.
“It was a lot of fun,” said senior outside hitter Madie Jones. “That was one of my favorite games we’ve played all year.”
The Tigers (8-11) defeated Alabama (14-7) with big plays late in sets, something players and coaches felt they struggled with in their loss to Tennessee on Wednesday night.
Despite Alabama having late leads in the second and fourth sets, LSU never lost its composure and was able to take both sets with late-set heroics.
“The second set was the best set that we’ve played all year,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “… It’s the first time the other team has made a run, and we didn’t panic.”
Perhaps the biggest point of the game came late in the fourth set when Jones put an end to a seemingly infinite rally to tie the set at 20.
The crowd in the PMAC erupted as a result, forcing Alabama to call a timeout and giving the Tigers the momentum they needed to take the set and the match.
“I think that was the key,” Flory said. “I think the team that won that rally probably wins the match.”
Jones led LSU tallying 25 kills with only three hitting errors and a .431 attacking percentage.
With this performance, Jones surpassed junior middle blocker Desiree Elliott as LSU’s attacking leader with 257 total kills and 3.62 kills per set.
“When we need plays, that’s who we’re going to set the ball for,” said senior libero Meghan Mannari about Jones. “She just did a great job of, not only making kills, but keeping the ball in play when we needed to.”
Mannari was celebrated after the game, as she became just the 12th player in LSU history to eclipse 1,000 career digs.
“[Meghan] will go down in my books as one of the best,” Flory said. “… She’s been such a stabilizing force in our program on and off the court, and our backcourt defense is not close to what it is today without Meghan on the court.”
