GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The LSU volleyball team rallied from a two-game deficit to tie the match at two games each, but the Tigers’ rally fell just short in the fifth game as Arkansas won the match, 30-22, 30-21, 27-30, 29-31, 15-12, in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday at the O’Connell Center.
With the loss, LSU dropped to 16-11 on the season, while the Lady’Backs improved to 15-13 overall. Arkansas took the season series, 2-1, and will advance to take on Tennessee in the tournament semifinals on Saturday at 1 p.m. (CST).
After having trouble with their passing in the first two games and trailing by seven in the third game, the Tigers refused to go away easily. LSU began to find the floor offensively, while improving its passing game to take both games three and four. The Tigers took a 4-1 advantage in the deciding game, but could not hold on as the Lady’Backs rallied to tie it up before taking the lead for good.
“I’m really proud of the way this team came back,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “We started the match nervous and tense rather than intense. Once we got relaxed and into our rhythm, I thought we took advantage of everything that we could have. I am really proud of them because they fought back where they could have easily folded in game three, but they didn’t. They were resilient and tough and gave everything they could today.”
As a team, the Tigers hit just .138 for the match, while Arkansas posted a meager .171 hitting percentage. After hitting just .043 in the first game, LSU rebounded to hit at over .150 in three of the final four games. The Lady’Backs, conversely, hit .250 in the first game and .361 in the second game before failing to hit above .150 the remainder of the match.
“I think this loss is a positive step for us as a team because we broke through, after being down two games, and came back and were on the break.” If we would have had two breaks go our way, we would have won the match. I am really proud, but I am disappointed in the same light.”
Senior Regan Hood led the match and a quartet of Tigers in double figures with kills by posting a season-best 24 kills. In addition, she recorded a career-high 20 digs, for her third double-double of the season.
Junior Ivana Kuzmic posted 12 kills and tied for the team lead with three blocks. Junior Jelena Mijatovic recorded 10 kills after coming in off the bench in the second game. The SEC leader in service aces per game, she also led the match with four service aces.
Sophomore Daniela Romero posted her eighth double-double of the season with 57 assists and 17 digs. The setter from Arlington, Texas, became just the fifth player in LSU history to record 2,000 career assists.
Senior Rachel Pittman recorded 12 digs to go over 300 for the season, while sophomore Kassi Mikulik recorded 10. Sophomore Melody Clark tied with Kuzmic for the team lead in blocks with three.
Kele Brewer led Arkansas with 19 kills, followed by Denitza Koleva with 17 kills and 11 digs. Ashley Miller led the Lady’Backs with 19 digs and three service aces, while Karla Crose posted 13 digs. Jessica Dorrell led the match with 12 blocks.
In the first game, the Tigers got themselves into a hole early and could not dig themselves out of it. LSU had trouble passing off of the Arkansas serve, which resulted in a breakdown in the offense. The Tigers hit only .043 for the game and were blocked five times.
LSU trailed 10-3 before cutting it down to four, 14-10. The Lady’Backs then went on a run to pull ahead by nine, 20-11. The Tigers got back into it, 22-16. With Arkansas moving to game point, 29-19, LSU went on a 5-0 run to get within seven before the Lady’Backs took the game on an error by Hood, 30-22.
LSU troubles passing off the serve continued in the second game. Despite recording the same number of kills as Arkansas, the offense struggled with efficiency once again as the Tigers hit .171 as a team and were blocked three times.
The game was much closer in the early goings as Arkansas led 9-7 early on. The Lady’Backs then went on a 4-0 run to pull ahead by six. The Tiger were able to get back within three, 16-19, before a 6-0 run gave Arkansas a nine-point lead. The Lady’Backs then went on to take the second game, 30-21.
Despite hitting only .094 in the third game, the Tigers found their rhythm midway through the game. LSU also found the block, posting three, after failing to record a block in the first two games. The Tigers also held Arkansas to a .051 hitting percentage and nine kills.
Trailing by three, 11-8, LSU got back within one, 11-10. The Lady’Backs pulled ahead by four, 16-12, but the Tigers rallied back to within one again, 16-15. With Arkansas leading 22-16, LSU went on an 8-2 run to tie it up, before taking the lead on a kill by Hood. After three more ties, the Tigers took the third game on a kill by Mijatovic, 30-27.
After getting back in the match with the win in game three, the Tigers rallied back from a five-point deficit to take game four. LSU hit .164, but posted 16 kills and three blocks. The Lady’Backs did little better offensively with 17 kills and a .111 attacking percentage, while recording four blocks.
Trailing by six, 13-7, the Tigers went on a 7-3 run to cut it to two points. After Arkansas stretched its lead to five points, LSU rallied back with a 5-0 run to tie it up, the took their first lead, 23-22. After five tied scores, the Tigers had their first game point, 29-27. Arkansas fought that game point and went on to tie it up at 29 all. LSU scored the final two points of the game to tie the match, 31-29.
In the deciding game, the Tigers jumped out to the early 4-1 lead, as LSU fed off the energy from its win in the fourth game. The Lady’Backs, however, scored four straight to take the lead for good, 5-4. Arkansas led by as many as four, 13-9, before the Tigers rallied back to within two, 14-12. A kill by Jennifer Haaser gave the Lady’Backs the match, 15-12.
LSU will close out the regular season next weekend as the Tigers host the SEC/C-USA Challenge. LSU will face Tulane on Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on Houston on Saturday at 7 p.m. Arkansas will also participate in the tournament and play Houston on Friday at 5 p.m. before facing Tulane on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Arkansas def. LSU 30-22, 30-21, 27-30, 29-31, 15-12
LSU (16-11, 8-8 SEC) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Regan Hood 24-1-1; Ivana Kuzmic 12-2-3; Vanessa Freeman 10-0-2; Jelena Mijatovic 10-4-1; Melody Clark 8-0-3; Kassi Mikulik 5-0-0; Daniela Romero 5-0-1; Lauren Leaumont 1-0-0; Beth Cowley 0-1-0; Totals 75-8-6.0. (Assists) – Daniela Romero 57. (Dig leaders) – Regan Hood 20; Daniela Romero 17; Rachel Pittman 12; Kassi Mikulik 10
Arkansas (15-13, 10-6 SEC) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Kele Brewer 19-0-2; Denitza Koleva 17-2-3; Jennifer Haaser 9-0-8; Jessica Dorrell 5-0-12; Amy Allison 4-0-0; Karia Crose 4-0-8; Amanda Eskridge 2-1-0; Iva Docekalova 0-1-0; Ashley Miller 0-3-0; Totals 60-7-17.5. (Assists) – Iva Docekalova 20; Amanda Eskridge 18. (Dig leaders) – Ashley Miller 19; Karia Crose 13; Denitza Koleva 11; Iva Docekalova 9; Amanda Eskridge 8; Jennifer Haaser 8