SOUTH BEND, Ind. ? The LSU volleyball team dropped a hard-fought 3-2 decision against No. 5 Stanford [25-22, 25-27, 25-22, 21-25, 12-15] in its season opener at the Shamrock Invitational inside Joyce Center on the Notre Dame campus.
Trailing 10-4 in the deciding fifth set, LSU battled back to score seven of the next nine points to cut the deficit to 12-11. A trio of Michele Williams kills highlighted the run.
Stanford (1-0) received an off-hand, left-handed spike from Cassidy Lichtman, who paced the Cardinal with a match-best 23 kills, to cap a long rally. The Cardinal picked up a block and a side out for the final margin of 15-12.
“We fought as hard as we possibly could,” head coach Fran Flory said. “I’m really proud that we were able to make a run when we were down in the fifth set against a very good Stanford team. Those things don’t happen unless you’re playing with great heart and desire. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t finish. There were a couple of touches that didn’t go our way.”
The Tigers (0-1) were playing without starting setter Sam Dabbs. Brittney Johnson set a balanced attack and compiled a double-double. She dished out 45 assists to go along with 13 digs and six blocks.
“Brittney did a tremendous job with a lot of pressure on her tonight,” Flory said. “I can’t say enough about her effort and toughness. She took another step forward into becoming a great setter by running a great offense and making excellent choices.”
LSU’s middle blockers led the way as Brittnee Cooper slapped 16 kills and posted seven blocks. Williams cranked 14 kills on a team-best .387 hitting percentage. She also racked up six blocks of her own and slapped three service aces.
Marina Skender and Lauren DeGirolamo returned to action from injuries that forced the pair to miss a combined 44 matches in 2008. Skender powered home 11 kills and notched 19 digs, while DeGirolamo tallied six kills in addition to reeling in a career-best 16 digs.
LSU took the opening set 25-22 behind a .333 hitting percentage and four blocks. Down 7-5, the Tigers went on a 14-7 spurt to build a 19-14 advantage. Cooper, Skender, Williams and Madie Jones fueled the run with a pair of kills each, while Skender added the finishing touches with an ace.
The Cardinal pulled back to 23-22 before another Skender kill coupled with a rejection from Johnson and Williams gave LSU a 1-0 advantage.
Stanford held a 22-19 lead in set two before the Tigers rallied to even the tally at 24-24 on a DeGirolamo ace. Alix Kleinman popped two kills as the Cardinal regrouped to take the set, 27-25, that featured a match-best 12 ties.
The two teams continued to go back-and-forth in set three. At 20-20, LSU scored five of the last seven points to grab a 2-1 edge. Johnson and Cooper provided kills and the Tigers got two blocks for the 25-22 win.
LSU jumped out to a 5-2 start in the fourth set and stayed in-front until Stanford turned a 15-13 hole into a 17-15 lead aided by three Tiger attack errors. The Cardinal held on for a 25-21 victory to force a fifth set.
The Tigers return to action Saturday against Denver. First serve is slated for 3 p.m. CT with live stats available on LSUsports.net
“I think we showed the senior leadership and balance that we need to have,” Flory said. “It’s the first match of a long season. We took a step up confidence-wise after going toe-to-toe and having a chance to beat the number five team in the country. The next time we have to make the outcome difference. We have important matches in the next two days. I expect us to bounce back and be ready to go.”