GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the first time since 1992, the LSU volleyball team earned a berth in the SEC Tournament Championship match as the Tigers defeated No. 6 seed Georgia 15-11, 15-10, 15-11 in the semifinals on Saturday.
LSU will face top-seeded Florida at 1 p.m. EST in the final. The Lady Gators ousted No. 4 Tennessee earlier in the day, 3-0. A year ago, Florida ended LSU’s season in the first round of the SEC tournament in Knoxville, Tenn.
“We have to play better than we have ever played to compete with Florida. They are a top 10 and potential Final Four team,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “But the goal of our team has been to compete for championships and that is the goal of this program. We have earned that right here this week.”
Seniors Lauren O’Connor and Jill Lytle, playing in their final SEC Tournament, led the way for the Tigers offensively, while sophomore Lauren Cuyler dominated the net once again to help LSU to the win.
“Lauren did a great job running our offense and using players when she needed to use them and that helped us come through with the big plays we needed,” said Flory of O’Conner, who racked up 48 assists and four blocks.
Cuyler recorded her second double-double of the season as she led LSU with 13 digs and an astounding 10 blocks.
“Lauren Cuyler is incredible right now. If she is not the best middle blocker in this tournament in terms of blocking, then I don’t know who is. When she can consistently be an offensive weapon, she will be incredible,” Flory added.
The ability to put consecutive points on the board keyed the LSU victory as they used scoring runs of four, eight and seven to seal the three-game win.
“The key to our runs here in this tournament is that we are playing with more heart and more desire than any other team here,” said Flory. “The runs that we made today were all based on defense and hustle and just absolutely a never-say-die attitude. We are relentless right now.”
LSU broke a 9-9 tie in game one with four consecutive points and then held off Georgia late for the 15-11 game victory. The Tigers’ .300 attack percentage and five blocks proved to be the difference. Cuyler led the way with seven kills on just nine attempts and three blocks.
Georgia outkilled LSU in the game, 18-17, but also had 13 errors which forced them into just a .122 attack percentage. Buerger had seven kills and three blocks to lead the way.
The Tigers took a two game lead behind the strength of an 8-0 run in the second frame. Trailing 6-4, LSU ran off eight unanswered for a lead that the Lady Bulldogs could not overcome.
A balanced offensive attack from the Tigers produced 20 kills en route to a .240 attack percentage in the game. Six LSU players had at least two kills while none had more than four. Again the Tigers were strong at the net with four blocks, led by Lauren Cuyler’s three.
In game three, Georgia held a late 11-8 lead only to see LSU storm back once again for seven straight to pick up the three-game sweep.
Overall, the Lady Bulldogs outkilled the Tigers, 55-50, and outdug them, 46-35. However, it was offensive efficiency that proved crucial for the LSU victory as the Tigers hit for a .266 clip while Georgia managed just a .150 attack percentage.