ATHENS, Ga. — The LSU volleyball team finished off its Southeastern Conference Eastern Division schedule with a 15-7, 15-6, 15-13 loss to Georgia on Sunday afternoon here in Athens, Ga.
The loss drops LSU to 10-10 overall this season, including a 4-5 conference mark. Georgia, which won its third straight, improves to 12-9 overall and 4-5 in the SEC. The Tigers remained winless at Georgia since a five-game victory in 1996.
The story of the match was Georgia’s offensive efficiency as the Bulldogs, who have hit .just 196 in conference matches this year, managed a .274 attack percentage in the match to subdue the Tigers, who could only muster a .138 clip.
Game one marked the best performance for the home-standing Bulldogs as they recorded a .350 attack percentage compared to LSU’s .222 mark. Outside hitter Stacy Buerger paced Georgia with seven kills in the game. She would finish the match with 12 kills and 10 digs.
The Tigers held an early advantage in the game at 4-1 before the Bulldogs stormed back to take the game.
Georgia stymied the LSU attack, holding the Tigers to a .000 attack percentage, in game two to take a two-games-to-none lead in the match. Offensively, Luresa Forsythe’s eight kills sparked Georgia to the game victory. Forsythe tied for the match high in the category with 13. Erin Gornes also had 13 kills for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs led 5-4 early before running off eight consecutive points to take a lead LSU could not recover from.
The Tigers looked to rally in game three as they jumped out to a 7-0 lead, only to see Georgia score 10 unanswered points and take the lead. With their backs against wall, the Tigers battled back for a 13-12 advantage. However, the final three points belonged to the Bulldogs as they clinched the match.
LSU did not have a player in double figures in kills for the second straight match as Meagan Davis led the Tigers with nine kills.
LSU will be back in action next weekend when it travels to Ole Miss on Friday and Mississippi State on Sunday.