Gainesville, Fla., and Columbia, S.C., have both been traditionally tough road venues for LSU’s volleyball team.The Tigers hadn’t come back to Baton Rouge with a victory in Florida’s O’Connell Center since 1990, and the last time LSU defeated South Carolina on the road was in 2006.Those circumstances changed during the weekend in just a matter of seven sets, as the No. 19 Tigers (21-5, 15-2) took home a pair of road victories to finish their Southeastern Conference road schedule with a 9-1 record.The Tigers’ victories helped them maintain sole possession of second place in the overall SEC standings, a half match behind No. 11 Kentucky.”We worked real hard throughout the course of this year at becoming a better road team because we didn’t feel like we were a good one last year,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “Certainly in the second half of the season, the kids did a great job of being focused on the road.”The Tigers breezed past the Gamecocks (14-13, 5-12) on Sunday afternoon for the second time this season with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-15) sweep.Led by senior setter Sam Dabbs’ match-high 34 assists, the Tigers’ offense outmatched South Carolina’s defense, hitting at a .311 clip for the contest.”We weren’t super efficient with first contact, but Sam did a good job of managing our offense,” Flory said. “More importantly, our hitters did a great job of choosing the correct shot, so our efficiency was good.”After a 25-20 first-set victory, LSU used an 11-3 run in the middle of the second set to take a 21-11 lead. The Gamecocks would make a run of their own, but the Tigers eventually took the set, 25-16.The Tigers then made easy work of South Carolina in the final set, 25-15.Junior outside hitter Angela Bensend said it was just another day in the office for the Tigers.”We started out a little rough,” Bensend said. “But we picked it up as the match went on, and we just kind of did our jobs.”The victory in Columbia came on the heels of LSU’s first season sweep of Florida since 1990 after a 3-1 (24-26, 25-23, 25-19, 25-17) road victory against the Gators on Friday night.The No. 10 Gators (20-4, 14-3) dropped to third place in the SEC with the loss, and their streak of 18-straight SEC titles is now in jeopardy.The victory gave LSU’s senior class a victory in every SEC venue.Those seniors led the way for the Tigers, as outside hitter Marina Skender combined with middle blocker Brittnee Cooper for 36 kills. Skender added 15 digs for her team-best 12th double-double of the season, while fellow senior outside hitter Lauren DeGirolamo had 13 digs with three kills.Dabbs dished out a match-best 46 assists for the Tigers while adding on 14 digs.”This is a huge road win,” Dabbs said. “Marina and Brittnee played amazing and are clutch players that we can rely on anytime we’re in trouble. They made big plays for us when we needed them the most.”The victory marked the first time this season in four tries LSU defeated a top-10 team with a 2-1 set lead heading into the fourth set.It was also the first time since 1990 an SEC West school won on the road against Florida.____Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]