BATON ROUGE — The LSU volleyball team dominated Southeastern Conference rival Ole Miss on Friday to the tune of a 15-12, 15-8, 15-5 victory.
The win improved LSU to 15-12 overall and 6-6 in SEC play. Ole Miss fell to 9-17 and remained winless at 0-12 in the conference.
“This was a good win for us,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “Every conference match is crucial for us at this point. We are battling Auburn and Alabama for second in the West so we need to win every time out.”
The Tigers overmatched the Rebels all over the court in outhitting, outdigging and outblocking the visitors. The Tigers .254 hitting percentage compared to Ole Miss’ .071 was a key stat in the game.
“We played good defense against them all night. I thought offensive efficiency was the key part of the game for us. We did a better job than we have in the past in that category and that helped us to the win.”
The Tigers had only one error in game three compared to 19 kills for a .545 hitting percentage in the game.
“To have only one error in a game is amazing. We did really nice job converting our opportunities in game three,” said Flory.
LSU was led by senior Kelly Thompson who had 12 kills en route to a .423 attack percentage. She added 10 kills and six blocks to the Tigers’ cause.
“Kelly was our go-to player once again,” said Flory. “She has stepped it up a notch late in the season and she has a chance to end her career here on a real positive.”
Outside hitters Jennifer Hampton and Meg Norwood each were solid in the Tiger victory. Hampton had 11 kills and 11 digs in recording her third consecutive double double.
Norwood, a senior, had 10 kills and a team high 14 digs for her 12th double-double on the season.
“Our outsides played well, but were spotty at times. If Jennifer and Meg can continue to play well with some consistency we will be tough.”
LSU hosts Mississippi State on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Assembly contributions over the past four years.