BATON ROUGE – The 16th-ranked LSU volleyball team made quick work of Mississippi State in a 3-0 sweep [25-16, 25-13, 25-20] Friday night in front of a crowd of 1,011 fans at the Maravich Center in the annual pink match for breast cancer awareness.
LSU improved to 20-2 overall and 11-2 in the Southeastern Conference, and the Tigers moved into sole possession of first place in the SEC after Florida swept Ole Miss Friday.
Freshman middle blocker Desiree Elliott continued her hot streak by posting a career-high .688 hitting percentage with 12 kills on 16 swings, and senior outside hitter Angela Bensend led all players with 15 kills to give LSU its 10th straight victory over the Bulldogs.
“I liked the fact that we had 46 kills, 45 digs and seven blocks in this match,” head coach Fran Flory said. “That’s a solid all-around effort both offensively and defensively. I think that we played very efficiently after the first set.”
Junior defensive specialist Lauren Waclawczyk paced the Tigers defensively with 13 digs, the ninth straight match she has reached a double-digit total in digs. Senior outside hitter Tania Schatow also contributed to the solid defensive effort with five block assists. Sophomore middle blocker Michele Williams pounded out eight kills and also had one solo block to spark the Tigers.
LSU struck a defensive tone in the first set by limiting Mississippi State (11-12, 3-9 SEC) to a -.065 hitting percentage. LSU jumped out to a 10-5 lead, but the Bulldogs rallied with six straight points to take an 11-10 lead. The Tigers pumped in five straight points to move ahead 15-11, aided by three errors by Mississippi State. LSU won 10 of the next 15 points to capture the first set.
The Tigers dominated the second set with a .615 hitting percentage with 18 kills and only two errors while holding Mississippi State to a .000 percentage with only five kills and five errors.
Bensend blasted seven kills on eight attacks for a .750 percentage, and Elliott tallied four kills on five swings to pace the Tigers. After Mississippi State tied the score at 5-5 early in the set, LSU seized control to move ahead two sets to none.
“Our team had the mindset that we had to go out and play hard, play our game and just have fun on the court,” Elliott said. “That’s how I was able to play my game. I knew my team was backing me up and working hard. I wanted to work hard for them also.”
Flory inserted freshman setter Shelby Pursley into the lineup in the third set to gain more experience, and the Winter Springs, Fla., native responded with 12 assists on 35 attempts for a .343 percentage.
“It was the first time she has run this offense, and I thought she did a nice job,” Flory said. “She really created, and she made some nice plays. She blocked well; she played great defense. That’s a great step for us as well.”
Bensend racked up six kills while the three-time SEC Freshman of the Week Elliott tallied three kills on five swings for a .400 hitting clip, and sophomore defensive specialist Sam Delahoussaye shined defensively with five digs.
At one point the Bulldogs pulled ahead 18-17 in the third set, but LSU stormed back with four straight points to take a 21-18 advantage. After Mississippi State managed one point to cut it to 21-19, the Tigers turned out the lights with three straight points to go up 24-19 before winning 25-20.
The Tigers will be back at home on Sunday when LSU plays host to Alabama in a 1:30 p.m. CT contest that will air on CST. Fans can follow all the action at LSUsports.net or on the team blog at lsuvolleyball.posterous.com.
LSU Volleyball vs. Mississippi State
October 29, 2010
LSU HEAD COACH FRAN FLORY
On winning the match in three sets …
“I think that we played very efficiently after the first set. In the first set we made a lot of hitting errors, and we weren’t very efficient. In the second set, we really had a great rhythm; hitting .615 in the second set with eight kills is a very high level. In the third set, we let Shelby Pursley come in and set and run the offense for the first time in a while. It was the first time she has run this offense, and I thought she did a nice job. She really created, and she made some nice plays. She blocked well; she played great defense. That’s a great step for us as well.”
MB DESIREE ELLIOT
On tonight’s performance …
“We knew Mississippi State was a really great team and had a lot of athletes. Our team had the mindset that we had to go out and play hard, play our game and just have fun on the court. That’s how I was able to play my game. I knew my team was backing me up and working hard. I wanted to work hard for them also.”