BATON ROUGE — Kyra Lancon recorded a career-high 12 kills to lead the LSU volleyball team to a 30-16, 30-24, 34-32, victory over in-state rival UL-Lafayette on Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The win, which improved LSU to 3-4 on the year, moved LSU to 21-1 against in-state competition in the Fran Flory era, which began in 1998. UL-Lafayette fell to 5-3 on the season.
“We played to the level we felt we had to play to be successful in the match instead of playing to the level on our side of the net we are capable of,” said LSU coach Fran Flory, who picked up her 50th win at LSU. “That is the sign of a young team.”
Meghan Bedford recorded a team season-high eight blocks, which helped the Tigers to a season-high 12 blocks in the match. Leading the defense was Jenny Greco, who picked up 10 digs for her fourth double-digit dig performance in her last five games.
The match was also the sixth time in seven matches LSU has outblocked its opponent.
The Tigers dominated the match early, racing out to a 22-6 lead before taking the first game. Middle blocker Meagan Davis paced LSU with five kills in just eight attempts and added two blocks at the net.
LSU’s was on fire offensively, hitting .343 for the game while holding the Ragin’ Cajuns to a .054 clip.
The following two games were much closer and were each capped by a late Tiger rally. In the second frame, LSU spread the offense around as five players had at least two kills, but none had more than three. Jana Gomes had six kills in the game to lead UL-Lafayette.
Looking to extend the match to a fourth game, the Ragin’Cajuns held a 29-24 lead late in game three. However, behind solid serving and some key blocks, LSU scored six unanswered points before eventually taking the game, 34-32.
“I didn’t think we would lose the game,” said Flory. “We practiced all week on coming from behind and having to put five balls away. I knew, as long as we were within five we would win the game. I was real excited about the way we were able to come back like that.”
Freshman Regan Hood and senior Meghan Bedford were dominant at the net in the game, racking up four blocks a piece. Lancon’s five kills sparked the offense.