The LSU beach volleyball team improved to a 15-6 record after conquering the Palmetto Invitational in Columbia, South Carolina this past weekend.
The No. 11 Tigers defeated Carson Newman and South Carolina on the first day of the invitational winning all sets for a total 10 consecutive points.
Sophomore Cheyenne Wood and freshman Megan Davenport won LSU’s first point in impressive straight sets with a score of 21-9 and 21-8.
Other LSU pairs followed suit to give LSU a 5-0 victory against Carson Newman.
“Those can always be trap matches,” said LSU coach Russell Brock in a press release. “You don’t really know your opponent, and you have a tough match ahead. We had business to finish against Carson Newman, and I was really proud of the girls for finishing that match.”
Against South Carolina, Davenport and Wood added LSU’s first point again in two sets scoring 21-19 and 23-21. South Carolina challenged LSU’s pairs forcing each one after Davenport and Wood to a third set.
But the Tigers could not be overpowered as they won again 5-0.
“We’ve had the opportunity to be in a lot of three set matches [this year],” said Brock. “Several times we’ve come out just a little bit short. I think that experience helped us finish those third sets. You never want to lose those at the beginning of the year, but I think that maybe helped prepare us [for matches like this one].”
On the second day of the invitational, LSU defeated Coastal Carolina and UNC-Wilmington.
Winning in straight sets again, the Tigers swept Coastal Carolina as sophomore Mandi Orellana and sophomore Riley Young won LSU’s first point.
Wood and Davenport claimed the next victory with a score of 21-10 and 21-16 while senior Callan Molle and senior Cati Leak boosted the Tigers’ lead to 3-0.
Duos Helen Boyle and Lilly Kessler, as well as Katie Lindelow and Ashley Allmer, finished the match defeating Coastal Carolina in a 5-0 victory.
“That’s incredibly difficult to do against programs that want to take a set or match,” Brock said. “They want to do whatever they can to compete in these matches and to go a weekend without dropping a match says a lot about where we are right now. I was proud of them for battling.”
The LSU beach volleyball team kept the momentum up as the final match against UNC-Washington started.
With Wood and Davenport leading LSU, Orellana and senior Victoria Boraski scored LSU’s second point. The Tigers won their next two points in straight sets by pairs Lindelow, Allmer and Molle, Leak.
UNC-Washington fought hard to put a point on the scoreboard when they forced Boyle and Kessler into a third set. They were no match for the duo as they took LSU’s final point making another 5-0 victory for the weekend.
LSU looks to keep the pace when they play on Friday against Florida State at the LSU Beach Invitational.