BATON ROUGE — Georgia used a balanced offensive attack that saw four players reach double-figures in kills to down LSU, 30-26, 30-25, 30-27, in volleyball on Friday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The loss comes on the heels of a tough defeat to ninth-ranked Florida on Wednesday night. The Tigers pushed the Gators to the limit in the loss and didn?t have anything left for the Bulldogs.
?We came out flat. We expected to come out here and play to the level that we did on Wednesday and that didn?t happen,? said LSU coach Fran Flory. ?I was scared of this match because of how much effort we used up against Florida. We didn?t have much left.?
All-SEC performer Stacey Buerger was the key factor for Georgia, which hit .191 on the night, as she registered 17 kills and 14 digs on the night. But it was the play of Baton Rouge native Kristine Keese and Jessica Boller that made the difference.
Kees racked up 11 kills en route to a .250 hitting percentage. She notched a double-double with 12 digs to go along with her three blocks. Boller was the most efficient Bulldog, hitting .391 with 13 kills. She also had a match high three aces.
LSU was never really in the match as Georgia built early leads of 9-5 and 10-6 in games one and two, respectively. From that point on in each game, the Tigers would threaten, but could never catch the Bulldogs.
?We didn?t do a good job of executing or of breaking Georgia?s rhythm,? Flory noted. ?We couldn?t do anything to alter their offensive flow and that allowed them to score the points when they needed them.?
In game three, LSU kept it close until late when Georgia pulled away. It was tied as late as 25 all, when Boller dug a ball that went back over the net and fell into an open space for a point that finally broke the Tigers in the game.
?Everything they hit tonight was gold,? said Flory. ?Look at the play late, they dig the ball over the net for a point in a crucial situation. It just wasn?t meant to be for us tonight.?
Only one LSU player reached double figures in kills, Lauren Cuyler with 10. Cuyler, who hit .368, was also dominant defensively at the net as she notched nine blocks, including three solo.
The Tigers return to action on Friday in Baton Rouge when it takes on Southeastern Conference Western Division leading Arkansas at 7 p.m. It will be senior night as LSU celebrates the career?s of seniors Meghan Bedford, Lyndsey Benson, Meagan Davis and Addie Prewitt.