LSU volleyball opened its season with a 1-2 record after three matches at home against SMU, South Alabama and Baylor.
Despite strong all-around performances from outside hitter duo Jurnee Robinson and Nia Washington all weekend, efforts ultimately fell short as opponents strategized on hitting errors and cracks in the Tigers’ defense.
Opening the season Friday night, the Tigers were outplayed by No. 10 SMU in a roaring match that ended in a heartbreaking yet thrilling 3-2 loss.
Tiger fans watched the team fall short in set one as the Mustangs fiery offense went unanswered early in the match and forced the first LSU timeout of the season.
The Tigers eventually gained momentum, taking sets two and three in what became a nail-biter for the crowd at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Mustangs took set four with little pushback from LSU, which forced a five-set match to decide the Tigers fate.
The Tigers scored the first points of the fifth, but slowly fell apart as the Mustangs scored five unanswered and forced another LSU time out for the team to reevaluate.
SMU ended the night victorious with a vigorous offense that the Tigers couldn’t seem to retaliate against. The Mustangs defense was no different, which outscored LSU 11-8 in blocks on the night. LSU also committed 29 hitting errors to Baylor’s 17.
Nonetheless, the LSU Tigers held their heads high as they went on to face South Alabama and looked to claim their first win of the season. LSU also went into the match wanting to have more control at the net, something the team lacked against the Mustangs.
The Tigers did exactly that as the team battled through a rough start where South Alabama’s offense scored the first six points of set one.
Miraculously, LSU found its groove after coming back from the first timeout of the match.
The Tigers defense showed out as they held the Jaguars to a .089 hitting percentage with seven blocks throughout the three-set match. They also played cleaner with only 15 hitting errors on the night, a much-needed step up from the team’s performance the day prior.
Robinson had herself another dominant day with 15 kills and also rallied the defense, totaling 12 digs and three blocks over the Jaguar offense.
LSU middle blocker Jessica Jones had a fantastic night, assisting the Tigers’ defense with four blocks. Setter Lauren Brooker totaled two blocks in addition.
The Tigers confident acceleration on defense was exactly what head coach Tonya Johnson needed from her team moving forward to Sunday’s finale.
To conclude the weekend, LSU faced No. 20 Baylor, looking to advance the win streak to two and prove themselves to be a dominant force all around.
The Tigers came to yet another rough start in the first set, not being able to find defensive rhythm as a team. Baylor’s offense went unanswered by LSU’s defense on multiple occasions, leading to the set win for Baylor.
The Tigers competed for the second set to even the match, but the Lady Bears stretched their lead to 2-1 after holding off in the third.
LSU fought until the very end and trimmed the deficit to 24-23 in the fourth and final set. The Lady Bears however, landed the final blow and took the set 25-23 and the match 3-1.
The Tigers didn’t go down without a fight, as LSU outnumbered the Lady Bears in digs the entire match, but just couldn’t compete with Baylor’s overwhelming offense and only had five blocks. LSU also struggled with its offense again, committing 25 hitting errors.
Although the Tigers struggled to gain consistency across the weekend, the start of their season isn’t necessarily jeopardized by a few mistakes. LSU’s offensive power is a bright spot, and if the team can clean it up a little on defense, the Tigers would be even tougher against opposing teams.
Returners Robinson and Jones continue to showcase the fire that coach Johnson and the team trained for in the offseason. Washington, a transfer from Ole Miss, has already proven herself to be a crucial factor of this team and will be a player to watch moving forward.
Looking ahead, LSU hits the road to compete in the Flo Hyman Classic followed by a showdown at Notre Dame. The Tigers look to recover from a slow start while also making adjustments on the court to compete at their highest ability.
