STARKVILLE, Miss. — It took four tight sets, but LSU volleyball head coach Fran Flory recorded career victory No. 300 as the Tigers defeated Mississippi State, 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 26-24, 25-15), Friday evening at the Newell-Grissom Building in Starkville, Miss.
“I’m very proud of the way we responded after losing our composure and poise in set two,” Flory said. “We showed a great level of maturity for the first time this season after losing our rhythm and were able to regain it and execute on an even higher level. That’s something new for this team and a positive step forward.”
Flory, in her 11th year as head coach at LSU, won the 300th match of her career Friday. Her overall record now stands at 300-243 while her mark at LSU is 190-129.
“Winning 300 matches is more of a tribute to the kids who have played for me than anything for myself,” Flory said. “We certainly want to win every match we play. I’ve coached some great players, and this is as much of an accomplishment for them as it is for me.”
It was the 10th win of the season for LSU, which improved its record to 10-6 (5-4 Southeastern Conference) with the victory. Mississippi State, meanwhile, dropped to 6-13 overall and 1-7 in the league. The Tigers have now won five straight over the Bulldogs.
LSU again experimented with a both a 5-1 and a 6-2 offense with Brittney Johnson and Sam Dabbs splitting time at setter. The duo guided the Tigers to a team clip of .165 and had 31 assists between them. Johnson once again shone offensively, putting down a team-best 12 kills on 19 attempts for a .579 hitting percentage. In addition to 11 digs and seven assists, she was just three assists short of a triple-double, the second straight match she recorded a double-double and barely missed that milestone.
“Brittney Johnson has really done a nice job of not only setting, but she has shown some great maturity offensively as well,” Flory said. “Every time she steps on the court she is just a few kills or assists or digs shy of a triple-double. That shows some great balance and she’s had a very positive impact.
“Sam also did a great job of going back to the 5-1 when we needed to get back our rhythm. They’re both great team players who are willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
LSU’s .165 clip topped .117 by State, as did its 49 kills to 43. The Tigers also recorded 10.0 team blocks to just 3.0 for the Bulldogs. Both teams had five service aces, despite the fact that Mississippi State came in with the league lead. Four of LSU’s came from Kyna Washington, as she is now just three away from being tied for 10th in the LSU record books with 142 for her career.
Washington added six kills and four blocks to her line. Brittnee Cooper also knocked down four blocks to add to 10 kills and a .333 clip.
Though the Bulldogs collected more digs than the Tigers for the match, individually LSU libero Elena Martinez put up another 20-dig performance, the 24th of her career and third this season.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first set, LSU quickly regained a 2-1 lead and never trailed again. The Bulldogs put together a string of six straight points late in the set ? though mostly on unforced errors by the Tigers ? but it wasn’t enough. LSU won set one, 25-18, on a block from Tania Schatow and Cooper to close things out.
In all, LSU recorded four total blocks in the opening frame while State had zero. And though the Tigers hit just .028 in the first set, Mississippi State’s clip was an even .000. Johnson and Williams each had three kills in set one to lead the Tigers.
LSU controlled things early in the second set, leading by as many as six at the 11-5 mark. State rallied to get with one at 16-15 and knotted the score back up at 18-all a few plays later. They next took their first lead since 2-1 at 19-18. The Bulldogs took the next two ensuing points, holding their largest lead of the match at 21-18.
The Tigers took their final timeout there, but the Bulldogs scored the next three and had their first set point. LSU managed to fight off two set points, but State capitalized on the third and won the second set, 25-20.
It was Mississippi State who had the upper hand statistically as well in the second set, out-hitting LSU .303-.143 and posting 14 kills to LSU’s 12. Cooper’s four kills on four attempts topped all Tigers in the second frame.
LSU responded with an early 7-4 lead in the third set, the Bulldogs fought back to a 7-all tie. After battling back and forth and exchanging several leads, State took at 12-11 lead and extended it to a 15-12 advantage to prompt a Tiger timeout.
Mississippi State went up by as many as five at 18-13, but the Tigers clawed their way back to within one at 19-18 and tied it back up at 21-all. After going down, 24-22, LSU fought off two set points to force another tie at 24-all. The Tigers took the next two and thus the third set, 26-24, to earn a 2-1 lead in the match.
The third-set victory came despite being out-hit, .185-.147, and posting 11 kills to State’s 12. Both Cooper and Johnson paced the squad with four a piece.
LSU led the fourth set early, 11-4, but once again let State back in the door as the Bulldogs got to within three at 13-10. But the Tigers controlled the pace the rest of the way, only allowing the Bulldogs five more points and finishing with a 25-15 advantage.
The Tigers stay on the road for another match against an SEC West opponent on Sunday at Alabama at 1:30 p.m.