STATESBORO, Ga. — The LSU volleyball team swept Campbell, 30-25, 30-22, 30-17, on Saturday afternoon at Hanner Fieldhouse to win the Georgia Southern Invitational after posting a 3-0 tournament record.
The Tigers defeated Georgia Southern to open the tournament before sweeping Jacksonville on Friday night. The Camels fell to 1-2 for the tournament after defeating Jacksonville and falling to Georgia Southern on Friday.
“I think this weekend was very positive, especially going 3-0,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “We are excited about this type of start and we are excited about the improvements we are going to be able to make and we were still able to be successful.
“We had some outstanding individual performances at difference times by just about everyone on the team,” Flory continued. It just showed the type of depth that this team has and how competitive it is going to be for a position in the starting lineup throughout the year.”
Senior Jelena Mijatovic led a trio of Tigers in double-figures with kills with 15. It marked the third-straight double-figure kill performance of the season. In addition, she added three service aces, to bring her total to 13 on the year.
Senior Ivana Kuzmic broke the school record for hitting percentage with 12 kills on 13 attempts for a .923 mark, besting the .857 percentage (12 kills on 14 attempts) set by Lisa Smith against Mississippi State in 1987. Junior Melody Clark added 14 kills for LSU, her highest kill performance of the season.
Junior Kassi Mikulik led the match with 13 digs, followed by nine from Mijatovic. Kuzmic and sophomore Vanessa Freeman tied for match lead with three blocks each.
Campbell was led by Tabitha Turner and Rachel Templin with seven kills each. Crystal Sieber was the only Camel in double figures in digs with 10, while Templin also led Campbell with three blocks.
As a team, the Tigers led the Camels in almost every statistical category. LSU out killed Campbell, 57-27 for the match, while recording a .351 team hitting percentage to a .144 mark for the Camels. The Tigers also out dug CU, 46-29, and out blocked them, 5.0-4.0.
In the first game, the Tigers jumped out to an early 10-4 lead. After the Camels got back within three, 12-9, LSU stretched the least to 11, 20-9. Campbell rallied back with a 16-9 run to cut the Tiger lead back to four, 29-25, before a kill by Mijatovic closed out the game to five LSU the one game lead, 30-25.
The Tigers recorded 22 kills, compared to 12 for the Camels, with a .357 hitting percentage. Melody Clark led the way with six kills, followed by five each by Lauren Leaumont and Mijatovic.
Trading points to seven all in the second game, LSU finally took the advantage for good with a six-point run. The Camels got back to within two, 13-11, but the Tigers kept the pressure on. LSU went on to take the 2-0 advantage, 30-22.
Once again, the Tigers out killed Campbell, recording 15 kills to six for the Camels. In addition, LSU posted a .206 hitting mark, compared to a -.103 mark for Campbell. Kuzmic and Mijatovic each recorded four kills to lead the Tigers in the game.
In the third game, LSU and the Camels once again traded points early with the Tigers trailing, 6-5. A seven-point run then gave LSU the 12-6 lead. The Tigers never trailed again, pulling away to a 30-17 game win and the match sweep.
LSU returns to action next weekend in the Georgia State Invitational. The Tigers will take on the host Lady Panthers on Friday at 5 p.m. (CST) before facing Jacksonville State and Wright State on Saturday at noon (CST) and 4 p.m. (CST) respectively.
LSU def. Campbell, 30-25, 30-22, 30-17
LSU (3-0) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Jelena Mijatovic 15-3-1; Melody Clark 14-1-2; Ivana Kuzmic 12-0-3; Lauren Leaumont 9-0-0; Vanessa Freeman 5-0-3; Heather Fierce 4-1-0; Marina Skender 0-0-0; Michelle Hensgens 0-1-0; Kassi Mikulik 0-2-0; Totals 59-8-5.0. (Assists) – Heather Fierce 48. (Dig leaders) – Kassi Mikulik 13, Jelena Mijatovic 9, Lauren Leaumont 7,
Campbell (1-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Tabitha Turner 7-0-0; Rachel Templin 7-0-3; Alissa Brackeen 6-1-1; Katie Stallings 4-0-1; Sarah Dillon 1-1-1; Mary McLachlan 1-0-0; Crystal Sieber 1-0-0; Brittney Oblinger 0-0-0; Femi Alabi 0-0-0; Jessica Gleba 0-0-0; Brittany Rusin 0-0-2; Totals 27-2-4.0. (Assists) – Sarah Dillon 16. (Dig leaders) – Crystal Sieber 10, Alissa Brackeen 7, Sarah Dillon 5