AUBURN, Ala. — The LSU volleyball team got back to its winning ways Sunday, sweeping the Tigers of Auburn (25-22, 25-15, 25-22) in the Student Activities Center to close out the weekend.
LSU regrouped after a midweek defeat by Georgia to sweep division rival Auburn and get back to .500 in Southeastern Conference play. The Tigers’ record improved to 9-6 (4-4 SEC) with Sunday’s victory. Auburn is still yet to win a match in league action at 5-14 overall and 0-8 in the SEC.
“I think the adjustments we made to our lineup made us a more balanced team,” LSU head coach Fran Flory said. “Overall it was an outstanding team effort and we did a great job of maintaining a stable level emotionally and executed very well.”
LSU hit a respectable .284 on the day with 39 kills while holding Auburn to a .150 clip and 36 kills. LSU also out-blocked Auburn, 8.0-3.0.
Kyna Washington led the offensive charge for LSU with 11 kills on a .212 clip. Brittnee Cooper and Brittney Johnson each added eight on clips of .353 and .615, respectively. Cooper also added six blocks and Johnson four.
Since LSU junior middle blocker Lauren DeGirolamo went down for the season with a knee injury against Ole Miss, the Tigers have been experimenting with new lineups. Against Auburn, freshman Michele Williams moved from outside to play in the middle and Sam Dabbs and Brittney Johnson split time at setter.
Williams posted solid numbers with five kills on a .385 clip. She also had two service aces. Johnson dished out 12 assists to go along with 11 digs and record a double-double. She was just two kills shy of a triple-double.
“Brittney Johnson had an outstanding outing for us all-around today,” Flory commented. “She did a nice job offensively, but also setting and with her defense. I also thought that Michele Williams really added a stable force for us in the middle as well. She’s been a middle all of her life and is comfortable there, so it was nice to have that contribution from her.”
LSU played from behind in nearly all of set one, falling behind by as many as five points on a few occasions. But the Purple & Gold fought their way back and tied things up at 19-all. They scored six of the next nine points to close out the opening frame with a 25-22 victory.
LSU hit .262 in the first set to Auburn’s .216. Johnson had six assists, three kills and two digs to pace LSU in that opening set.
The second set was all LSU from the get-go. The Tigers scored the first four out of the gates and used a 12-2 run to hold an early 10-point advantage. In fact, they reached the 20-point mark before Auburn even put seven on the board.
LSU allowed Auburn just 15 points overall in set two, winning the second frame as well, 25-15. LSU hit just .167 in that second set, but managed to hold the other Tigers to a negative clip at -.174.
The Tigers went the locker room with a 2-0 lead for the fifth time this season. They had not only won those previous four contests, but had earned sweeps. They followed suit against Auburn.
The two Tigers battled back and forth throughout set three, exchanging several different leads. The latest tie of the match came at the 22-22 mark. But LSU scored the next three points on a kill and a block from Cooper and an Auburn attack error. The Tigers secured a 25-22 third-set win and a sweep of the SEC’s other Tigers.
LSU will return to Baton Rouge for the week and then travel for two more road contests next weekend. The Tigers play at Mississippi State on Friday and at Alabama on Sunday.