Finally, LSU’s players rejoiced.
LSU (3-10 Southeastern Conference, 8-16 overall) achieved its first home game victory by forcing the Georgia Bulldogs (1-12 SEC, 13-13) into five sets. LSU claimed the fifth and final set with a 3-2 overall finish.
“I think we all feel relieved,” LSU coach Fran Flory said. “We finally christened the floor with a win and that was important to us … For them to win and win on our home court tonight, I know they’re relieved, I know they’re happy and really, truly that’s all that matters to me.”
The Tigers won the first set, 25-22 — with 18 kills, 4 errors and a .318 percent offensive play. LSU controlled a slight lead for much of the second set, which Georgia eventually won, 25-21.
Both the Tigers and Bulldogs rallied in the third set, but Georgia came out on top again, bringing the set count to 2-1. LSU’s 18 kills from the first set fell to 13 while errors increased by one and hitting decreased to .211.
The team played defeated at first, senior Tiara Gibson said. They had won the first set, but nothing seemed to fall into place in the sets that followed.
“There was definitely a lot of frustration,” Gibson said. “I, even myself, was feeling like, ‘Not this again.’ I just can’t deal with another loss like this where we set ourselves up to knock ourselves down. Today we had to overcome ourselves and it was just a really, really good team win.”
The Tigers seemed to be losing the fourth set, too, down 15-11 at an official media timeout. As if a switch clicked, LSU refused to give up that easily. The Tigers’ 10-2 run in the fourth set contributed to their victory, 25-20, and forced the match into a fifth set.
Part of that fire was encouraged by Flory, who insisted Georgia’s outsides couldn’t last, especially in a fifth match.
“Their pattern through the season is if they’re going to beat you, they’re going to beat you in three or maybe four [sets],” she said. “But if you get to five you’re going to get them because they kind of run out of gas at the end.”
Flory also said the momentum picked up pace after Olivia Beyer stepped up her game.
“Olivia came alive,” she said. “The change was Olivia did a great job, Anna [Zwiebel] found her and she gave us that little boost of energy and that little momentum swing.”
The Tigers will look to keep the momentum when the play against Mississippi State at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the PMAC.