BATON ROUGE — For the third time in 10 days, the LSU volleyball team was pushed to five games, but this time the Tigers came up a little short as they lost the courageous effort to Houston, 24-30, 30-27, 28-30, 30-27, 15-11, in the SEC/C-USA Challenge on Saturday night at the Maravich Center.
With the loss the Tigers concluded the 2004 regular season at 17-12, matching the most wins by a Fran Flory-led team in her seven-year tenure at LSU. The win moved the Cougars to 11-21 on the year, closing out the season with back-to-back wins.
“We fought with everything we had tonight,” said coach Flory. “You have to give credit to Houston and the way they played defense. It is unfortunate for us to not end this season the right way.”
For their efforts, junior Ivana Kuzmic and sophomore Kassi Mikulik were named to the all-tournament team for the Tigers. Mikulik averaged 4.50 kills per game and 2.20 digs per game for the two matches, while Kuzmic posted 2.30 blocks per game and 1.80 kills per game for LSU.
In the first game, the Tigers used a 5-1 run over the final six points to put away Houston, 30-24. The Cougars rallied from a seven-point deficit midway though the game to tie it up at 27 all. Houston then scored the final three points of the game to even the match, 30-27.
LSU rallied from a seven-point deficit early in the third game to even the score at 17 all. After four ties, the Tigers took advantage of a 3-0 run to take the lead on their way to taking the game, 30-28. Trailing 29-20 in the fourth game, LSU fought off eight game points for Houston, but could not quite make up the nine-point deficit as the Cougars sent the match to the fifth game with a 30-27 win.
The Tigers jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the fifth game, but Houston rallied back to tie it up at 11 all. The Cougars then scored the final four points of the game to take the match, 15-11.
“I thought the team that made the best plays at the end was going to win and that was the case,” said Flory. “Houston just played better right at the end, which is too bad for us. I think it will be a good lesson for our younger players on how tough we need to be with our ball control and defense in the future to be successful.”
Kuzmic led the match with 14 blocks, her fourth double-figure block match of the season and the sixth most in a five-game match in school history. In addition, with six solo blocks, she recorded the second most block solos in a five-game match in LSU history. It marked the most blocks in a match for the Tigers since Miranda Cantu had 15 against Auburn on Nov. 13, 1994.
For the second straight night, Mikulik led the Tigers offensively, posting a career-best 21 kills. In addition, she led the match with three service aces. Senior Regan Hood posted 18 kills and a career-best 22 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Freshman Vanessa Freeman also recorded a career-best with 18 kills and five blocks, while hitting at a match-best .417 clip.
Senior Rachel Pittman led a trio of Tigers with 20-plus digs, recording a career-best 27. Freshman Michelle Hensgens also posted a career-best with 22, while Hood recorded 22 for LSU. With a match-best 62 assists and 11 digs, sophomore Daniela Romero recorded her 10th double-double of the season and back-to-back 60-plus assist efforts.
Houston was led by tournament MVP Loure Dews and Kelly McAnelly with 17 kills, while Kariny Ritter recorded 16 and Becca Sartori posted 12. Dews also led the Cougars in blocking with 13 blocks, including four solo.
The libero of the tournament, Jaci Gonzalez, led the Cougars with 39 digs, followed by Ritter with 22, Jennifer Hohl with 12, Mirela Vasconcellos with 13 and McAnelly with 10.
The NCAA Tournament selections will be announced on Sunday at 6 p.m. during the selection show on ESPNEWS. Tennessee earned the automatic bid from the Southeastern Conference by winning the SEC tournament last weekend in Gainesville, Fla. There are 31 automatic qualifying teams and 33 available at-large bids to the tournament.
Houston def. LSU 24-30, 30-27, 28-30, 30-27, 15-11
Houston (11-21, 6-9 C-USA) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Loure Dews 17-0-13; Kelly McAnelly 17-0-0; Kariny Ritter 16-2-5; Becca Sartori 12-0-4; Jennifer Hohl 8-0-6; Mary Cates 4-0-2; Stefani Clark 1-0-1; Mirela Vasconcellos 1-0-1; Totals 76-2-19.0. (Assists) – Mirela Vasconcellos 41; Jennifer Hohl 20. (Dig leaders) – Jaci Gonzalez 39; Kariny Ritter 22; Mirela Vasconcellos 13; Jennifer Hohl 12; Kelly McAnelly 10
LSU (17-12, 8-8 SEC) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Kassi Mikulik 21-3-1; Regan Hood 18-1-3; Vanessa Freeman 18-0-5; Melody Clark 8-0-4; Ivana Kuzmic 5-0-14; Daniela Romero 5-0-2; Michelle Hensgens 0-1-0; Totals 75-5-18.0. (Assists) – Daniela Romero 62. (Dig leaders) – Rachel Pittman 27; Regan Hood 22; Michelle Hensgens 22; Daniela Romero 11; Kassi Mikulik 9
SEC/C-USA Challenge All-Tournament Team
Erin Heffner, Alabama
Deva Fowler, Tulane
Ivana Kuzmic, LSU
Kassi Mikulik, LSU
Kariny Ritter, Houston
Sarah Weiland, Tulane
Libero – Jaci Gonzalez, Houston
MVP – Loure Dews, Houston
ALABAMA TAKES CARE OF TULANE IN FOUR
BATON ROUGE — After a tough four-game loss on Friday, the Alabama volleyball team rallied back to take a four-game win over Tulane, 30-24, 31-33, 30-22, 30-24, on Friday night in the Maravich Center.
With the win, the Crimson Tide closed out the regular season at 21-9, while the Green Wave dropped to 17-12.
After winning the first game, Alabama dropped the second game in extra points. The Crimson Tide came back and dominated Tulane in the third and fourth games to easily take the win.
Erin Heffner led Alabama with 19 kills, followed by Julie Farley with 16, Bridget Fuentez with 14 and Crystal Hudson with 10. Heffner also led the Crimson Tide with 19 digs, while Kory Tull posted 18, Jessica Yearout had 16 and Megan Hudson had 11. Farley led Alabama with six blocks, while Brigette Stack led the Crimson Tide with three service aces.
Sarah Weiland led the match with 23 kills for the Green Wave, followed by Deva Fowler with 16. Kellil Dickson posted a match-best 21 digs, while Lindsey Norman had 17, Blair Moon had 13 and Weiland had 12. Fowler led the match with seven blocks for Tulane, followed by Iman Houston with five.
Alabama def. Tulane 30-24, 31-33, 30-22, 30-24
Tulane (17-12, 7-8 C-USA) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Sarah Weiland 23-0-4; Deva Fowler 16-0-7; Lindsey Norman 9-0-2; Blair Moon 7-0-1; Iman Houston 2-0-5; Anastasia Kenon 2-1-0; Kelli Dickson 0-1-0; Brittany Esser 0-1-3; Totals 59-3-12.0. (Assists) – Brittany Esser 49. (Dig leaders) – Kelli Dickson 21; Lindsey Norman 17; Blair Moon 13; Sarah Weiland 12
Alabama (21-9, 10-6 SEC) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Erin Heffner 19-1-4; Julie Farley 16-2-6; Bridget Fuentez 14-0-2; Crystal Hudson 10-0-3; Abbi Blackburn 6-0-2; Brigette Stack 5-3-3; Kory Tull 3-1-0; Jessica Yearout 2-1-0; Megan Hudson 0-1-0; Totals 75-9-12.0. (Assists) – Brigette Stack 59. (Dig leaders) – Erin Heffner 19; Kory Tull 18; Jessica Yearout 16; Megan Hudson 11; Brigette Stack 9