ATHENS, Ga. — The 10th-ranked LSU volleyball team completed a three-game sweep of Georgia, 30-28, 30-19, 30-28, on Friday night at the Ramsey Center, completing the season sweep of the Bulldogs.
With the win, the Tigers improved to 19-3 overall and 11-2 in Southeastern Conference play, tying 2005 for the most wins in league since going 12-2 in 1992. Georgia dropped to 6-17 on the season and 2-11 in conference action.
LSU, which leads the SEC Western Division, remained one game behind Florida in the overall conference standings after taking the second meeting with the Bulldogs this season. In the first match-up, the Tigers knocked off Georgia, 3-0, in Baton Rouge on Sept. 24.
“This was another very good outing,” said LSU head coach Fran Flory. “We did not play as well as we have recently, but we did everything we needed to do to be successful. We came across a Georgia team that was finding its rhythm.”
Sophomore Kyna Washington led LSU with 14 kills, followed by sophomore Marina Skender with 12. In addition, senior Melody Clark and freshman Brittnee Cooper posted nine kills each. Clark and senior Daniela Romero each posted .500 hitting percentages as the Tigers hit at a .286 clip for the match.
“I thought Kyna and Marina did a very good job,” said Flory. “Marina had an overall great night. Brittnee Cooper was a great plus for us off the bench starting for us tonight and there is still not enough you can say about Dee (Romero) and how she runs our offense.”
Skender led LSU with 16 digs to record a double-double with four service aces, while senior Kassi Mikulik posted 15 digs. Mikulik moved into fifth place in career digs in Tiger volleyball history with her effort. A trio of LSU players led the match with four blocks each, including Clark and Cooper who had a solo block and three block assists each, while freshman Lauren DeGirolamo had four block assists.
Maria Taylor led Georgia and the match with 21 kills, while also posting a .356 hitting percentage, nine digs and a Bulldog-high three blocks. She was the only Georgia player to record double-figures in kills. Brooke Burlingame led the match with 19 digs, followed by Simona Speed with 11.
“Maria Taylor with 21 kills and hitting over .300, she is a great player to match up with,” said Flory. “Georgia made us do things and be very creative in our offense to create opportunities for our hitters.”
The first game went back and forth with 17 tied scores. LSU pulled out to its largest lead early in the game, 11-7, but Georgia came back to tie it up at 12 as part of a 6-0 run that saw the Bulldogs take a 14-12 lead, which matched their largest of the game.
When Georgia once again held a two-point advantage, 25-23, the Tigers called time out and came out of the break to score four straight and pull ahead, 27-25. After the Bulldogs tied it at 27, LSU scored three of the next four to take game one, 30-28, on a service error by Georgia.
In the second game, the pair saw seven ties before the Tigers broke through midway. With the match tied at 16, Skender proceeded to serve for 16 straight points, including a trio of service aces, that saw LSU take the 26-16 lead. The Tigers went on to take the second game, 30-19, scoring 14 of the final 17 points in the game to go into the locker room holding the two-game advantage.
After Georgia hit .375 in game one, the Bulldogs dropped to .050 in game two, posting only nine kills with seven errors on 40 attempts. LSU, however, improved to .350 after hitting .310 in game one, posting 19 kills for the second straight game, with only five errors on 40 attempts and also posted four blocks.
The Tigers fell behind early in the third game, trailing by as many as six, 9-3, and again, 10-4, before coming back. LSU began to claw at the lead and got within one, 15-14, but could not quite tie it up before Georgia pulled ahead again, 19-16. The Tigers then scored four straight to take their first lead of the game, 20-19.
With LSU leading, 23-20, the Bulldogs came back to tie it up at 24 and take the lead, 26-24. With Georgia leading, 27-25, the Tigers scored back-to-back points to tie it up. After the Bulldogs went ahead again, 28-27, LSU scored the final three points of the match, including the final kill by Romero to seal the game and the match, 30-28.
The Tigers will remain on the road to face South Carolina on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (CT). LSU swept the Gamecocks in Baton Rouge earlier this season and have won four straight over South Carolina.
LSU will return home again on Nov. 3 to face nationally ranked Florida at 7 p.m. The Tigers fell to the Gators last weekend in Gainesville, one of only two losses for LSU in SEC play this season. The Tigers will then take on Auburn on Nov. 5 at 1:30 p.m.
Students are encouraged to come out against No. 7 Florida for “Gold Digger Student Night”. It is the Student Point game and “Gold Digger” t-shirts will be given away.
Mizuno is helping youth volleyball as part of “Mizuno Team Day” against Auburn. Local teams get into the match free with “Advocate” tickets available through the LSU Promotions office at 578-8960. In addition, LSU backpacks will be given away at the match.
No. 10 LSU def. Georgia, 30-28, 30-19, 30-28
No. 10 LSU (19-3, 11-2 SEC) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Kyna Washington 14-0-2; Marina Skender 12-4-2; Melody Clark 9-0-4; Brittnee Cooper 9-0-4, Daniela Romero 7-0-0; Lauren DeGirolamo 5-0-4; Elena Martinez 0-0-0; Michelle Hensgens 0-0-0; Kassi Mikulik 0-1-0; Totals 56-5-9.0. (Assists) – Daniela Romero 46. (Dig leaders) – Marina Skender 16, Kassi Mikulik 15.
Georgia (6-17, 2-11 SEC) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Maria Taylor 21-1-3; Simona Speed 7-0-1; Anjelica Partridge 5-0-1; Josefine Ehmke 2-2-2; Chelsea Young 1-0-0; Renee Johnson 1-0-1; Alexis Morgan 0-0-0; Brooke Peugh 3-0-1; Brooke Burlingame 0-0-0; Totals 40-3-6.0. (Assists) – Chelsea Young 32. (Dig leaders) – Brooke Burlingame 19, Simona Speed 11.