SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sam Dabbs was a welcomed addition back to the lineup as the LSU volleyball team dominated Notre Dame [25-19, 25-18, 25-23] Sunday on the final day of the Shamrock Invitational at the Joyce Center.
LSU (2-1) connected for a season-best .347 hitting percentage as Dabbs, who joined the team last night after recovering from the flu in Baton Rouge, dished out a match-high 35 assists. She also added four digs, three kills and three blocks.
“This team feels more confident with Sam at the helm,” head coach Fran Flory said. “Brittney [Johnson] did an excellent job filling in her, but Sam brings a different execution level with the comfort and poise that the team has in her. She played tremendous and we’re really happy to have her back.”
Michele Williams turned in another stellar performance, belting a team-high 11 kills on a .348 attack percentage and notched four blocks en route to Tournament MVP honors.
“Michele is such a fast and dynamic player that is difficult to defend because she creates so much,” Flory said. “She appears out of nowhere and the key to being a great middle blocker is to finish in transition. This [Tournament MVP] is a great tribute to all of the hard work that she put in over the summer.”
Marina Skender slapped 10 kills and Brittnee Cooper, an All-Tournament Team pick, added nine kills for the Tigers. Madie Jones matched a career-high with seven kills, while Brittney Johnson chipped in five kills and three digs.
Sam Delahoussaye anchored the back row and reeled in a career-best 17 digs. The victory also gave the Tigers its 10th consecutive winning opening weekend under Flory dating back to the 2000 season.
“As a freshman, I told Sam that other teams are going to go after you,” Flory said. “How you handle that first contact is going to determine your future for the rest of the match. It took her a little time to find her rhythm during the weekend. She came with her ?A’ game today and really made a difference. ”
Notre Dame (2-1) was limited to a season-low .202 hitting percentage, including a paltry .083 clip in set two. Kristen Dealy paced the Fighting Irish with 15 kills.
LSU came out of the gate clicking on all cylinders as the Tigers racked up a season-high .522 hitting percentage in the opening set. After splitting the first 20 points, LSU strung together a 10-3 spurt to grab a 20-13 lead capped by back-to-back Williams’ service aces. Notre Dame trimmed the deficit to five on five different occasions before Williams slapped a kill up the shoot for the 25-19 win.
The Tigers once again used a run on Williams’ serve in set two, turning a 9-9 tie into a 13-9 advantage. At 16-13, LSU forced the Irish into a pair of attack errors coupled with Skender and Williams spikes to take control of the frame, 20-13. The Tigers posted their second-straight 75 percent sideout efficiency set to close out the 25-18 win.
Notre Dame built a 14-9 edge to start the third set behind four LSU attack errors and a trio of Dealy kills. The Tigers turned the tables behind three blocks, all involving Williams, to draw even at 15-15. After six ties and four lead changes, LSU secured the sweep with three of the last four points as Cooper, Johnson and Skender knocked kills for the 25-23 triumph.
The Tigers open the home portion of its schedule next weekend welcoming No. 3 Nebraska, Louisiana-Lafayette and Tulane to the Maravich Center for the Tiger Classic. The Tigers square off against the Huskers Friday at 7:30 p.m. CT.
“We’re excited to come home and continue to play against the nation’s best teams,” Flory said. “Next weekend presents some great opportunities for our players. First and foremost, we need to rest and recover. The players are already excited to play at home. It’s a great situation for a coach to have.”
All-Tournament Team
MVP – Michele Williams (LSU)
Brittnee Cooper (LSU)
Kristen Dealy (Notre Dame)
Serinity Phillips (Notre Dame)
Cassidy Lichtman (Stanford)
Gabi Ailes (Stanford)
Emmy Davidsmeyer (Denver)