DALLAS — The LSU volleyball team enjoyed one of its most successful days in several years, posting a pair of wins over prominent teams on Saturday afternoon at Moody Coliseum, defeating Miami, 32-34, 27-30, 30-28, 30-22, 15-12, before sweeping Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 30-28, 30-13, 30-15.
With the wins, the Tigers improved to 7-1 on the season, LSU’s best start since 1997. Miami, which has posted 20-win seasons over the past two years, fell to 2-3 on the year, while UWM, 20-match winners the last five seasons, was winless on the day and fell to 4-4.
“I thought we played really well today,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “The win against Miami was really big for us. We were resilient and I think we played with heart and spirit. We developed our attitude as a team under adversity.
“I thought it was big for us to then come back out tonight after an emotional win earlier with only a couple of hour rest. It shows we’re fit and prepared. I think this will be a big confidence builder for our team.”
The Tigers will conclude tournament play against SMU on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Mustangs were 3-1 winners over UW-Milwaukee on Friday and played Miami in the final match of the night.
“We have a tough match tomorrow against SMU,” said Flory. “They are a balanced team and have an outstanding outside hitter. SMU is a senior laden team that was very successful last season. I think it will be a war, but I think we will be prepared and come out fighting.”
Against Miami, the Tigers fell behind two games and with their backs against the wall, LSU won the final three games to take the match, 3-2. The Tigers outhit, outkilled, outdug and outblocked the Hurricanes in the win. The first three games were decided by three points or less, with the first going to 34-32. LSU dominated the third, 30-22, before closing out the match with a three-point win in the fifth.
Five players posted double-figure kill totals, led by Jelena Mijatovic with 19. Kassi Mikulik recorded 17, Regan Hood had 16, Melody Clark had 13 and Ivana Kuzmic posted 12. Mijatovic was four players with double-doubles as she also recorded 14 digs. Kuzmic had 10 blocks, while Daniela Romero had 67 assists and 15 digs. Rachel Pittman led the Tigers with 26 digs, which is tied for the fourth most digs in a five-game match in LSU history.
In the nightcap against Milwaukee, the Tigers struggled to start the match, but once they did, they dominated the Panthers. LSU fell behind by as many as seven in the first game before rallying for a 30-28 win. The Tigers then dominated the final two games, 30-13 and 30-15. The 56 total points allowed in the match was the fifth fewest points the Tigers have allowed in a three-game match since going to rally scoring in 2001.
As a team, LSU posted its highest hitting percentage of the season, hitting at a .343 clip, compared to a .056 hitting percentage for Milwaukee. Two Tigers hit over .400, while the entire starting line-up hit at least .300. LSU also outblocked UWM, 9-3, and outdug the Panthers, 55-35.
For the second-straight match, Mijatovic led LSU in kills, recording 13 on the match. Kuzmic also posted in double figures with 10, while leading the team with five blocks. Pittman led the team once again with 19 digs, falling one dig shy of posting back-to-back 20-dig matches. Michelle Hensgens also recorded in double figures with 12 digs for the Tigers, while Melody Clark knocked down four blocks.
Against Miami in the first game, the Tigers fell behind by five early, 12-7. LSU fought back to within one, 13-14, but could not tie the game. The Hurricanes then pulled ahead by four, 24-20, before the Tigers rallied to take their first lead of the game, 26-25.
Tied at 28, the LSU got its first game point on a kill by Kuzmic, but an error by Mijatovic tied it up again. On the Tigers’ second game point, Miami got a kill and then took their first game point, 31-30. The Tigers got a kill from Mijatovic to tie it again. An ace by Mijatovic gave LSU its third game points, but the Tigers could not covert as Miami got three kills to take the first game, 34-32.
In the second game, the Tigers took the 12-9 lead early. The Hurricanes fought back to tie the game at 14 all before going on a 4-0 run and the lead for good. Miami led by as many as six, 29-23, but LSU fought off four game points before a kill by the Hurricanes took game two, 30-27.
In the third game, the Tiger defense came alive as LSU blocked seven balls. As in the second game, the Tigers jumped out to the early lead, 10-5, but the Hurricanes would not go away. Miami came back to tie the game at 12 all. After five more ties, the Tigers looked like they had taken the lead for good at 18-17 as LSU led by as many as three, 24-21. The Hurricanes came back to tie the game at 26, but LSU scored four of the final five points to take the third game, 30-28, on a kill by Mijatovic.
After being tied at 14 in the fourth game, the Tigers took control. LSU went on a 6-1 run to jump out to a five-point advantage. The Tigers stretched the lead to as many as nine before closing it out on kill by Hood, 30-22, and sending the match to a decisive fifth game.
Falling behind 4-1 in the fifth, LSU rallied back to tie it at five all. LSU then jumped out to a 12-9 lead. Miami got within one, 13-12, before the Tigers scored the final two points of the game on back-to-back errors by the Hurricanes to take the match, 15-12.
Against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, LSU fell behind, 14-7, in the first game as the Tiger defense struggled. An 11-4 run by LSU tied it up at 18 all before the Tigers took the lead, 19- 8, on a kill by Mijatovic. LSU went on to take the three point advantage, 28-25, but the Panthers fought back to tie it at 28. The Tigers then scored the final two points of the game, capped by a kill by Mijatovic, for a 30-28 win.
In the second game, LSU dominated from beginning to end. LSU jumped out to a 5-1 lead. The Tigers extended the advantage to 21-7 before UWM rallied a bit, but LSU closed it out at 30-13. The 13 points allowed was the fourth fewest allowed since going to rally scoring in 2001.
The Tigers continued their domination in the third game. Milwaukee got as close as three points, 10-7, but could get no closer the rest of the way as LSU pulled away. Leading 28-15, Romero served back-to-back aces to close out the game and the match, 30-15.
LSU will open Southeastern Conference play next weekend, hosting Georgia on Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 4 Florida on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the Maravich Center.