GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The LSU volleyball team lost for the first time in four matches on Friday, as 10th-ranked Florida downed the Tigers 15-4, 15-3, 15-9 in Gainesville, Fla.
The win drops LSU to 10-9 overall, including a 4-4 conference mark. With the win, the 10th in a row for the Gators, Florida improves to 16-3 and remains perfect in the SEC at 8-0.
The difference in the match proved to be LSU’s inability to mount an offensive attack against the Gators strong front, which boasts the SEC’s two leading blockers in Benavia Jenkins and Nicole McCray. The Tigers attack percentage hovered around the .000 mark all match before it finished at .023.
On the other side of the net, Florida’s offense was clicking throughout the match. The Gators wound up with a .263 attack percentage, led by Aury Cruz who had a double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs.
Game one would set the tone for the match as Florida dropped the first point out rebounded to a 5-1 lead and coasted to the game victory. Jacque Robinson would lead the way for the Gators with three kills and two blocks. The Tigers were held to a -.081 attack percentage in the game.
Game two was much of the same with LSU unable to get on track after Florida jumped to a big lead. Freshman Aury Cruz paced the Gators with four kills and six digs in the game. Jennifer Hampton hit for three kills while notching five digs for the Tigers.
Opening up game three, the Tigers looked to comeback by racing out to a 4-0 lead. However, Florida erased it in running off seven unanswered to take a 7-4 lead. LSU would play the Gators even the rest of the way, but were unable to get over the hump to force a fourth game.
Hampton, the SEC leader in digs, continued to shine defensively as she racked up 15 digs in a losing effort for the Tigers. She fell just shy of her sixth straight double-double with only nine kills.
Sophomore Lauren Cuyler maintained her tough play at the net with four blocks in the match, including two solo. She has had at least four blocks in each of her past four matches.
LSU travels to Athens, Ga., for a meeting with the Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday at 1 p.m. CDT.