COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 16 LSU volleyball team bounced back in a big way as Brittney Johnson turned in a masterful performance and set the Tigers to a .434 hitting percentage en route to an impressive 3-0 sweep [25-14, 25-19, 25-19] over South Carolina Sunday at the Volleyball Competition Facility.
With the victory, LSU (14-1, 5-1 SEC) got back on the winning track after falling 3-1 at No. 2 Florida on Friday. The Tigers also sustained its hold of first place in the SEC Western Division standings to remain a full match ahead of Auburn and Ole Miss.
“I’m really proud of the way we came back today,” head coach Fran Flory said. “This team is tough, and they believe in themselves. We had an excellent practice yesterday and used what happened on Friday night to get better today. You always learn more from when you lose than when you win. I’m happy how our team responded and the way we played today is a huge step forward.”
Johnson turned in a complete effort and distributed a match-high 32 assists to go along with six digs, three kills and three blocks. The Baton Rouge native set a quartet of hitters to seven or more kills.
Angela Bensend belted a match-best 11 kills to extend her streak to nine straight matches with 10 or more spikes. Michele Williams connected for 10 kills on 13 swings without an attack error for a career-high .769 hitting clip. She also garnered four blocks and equaled a season-best with three aces.
“Michele is playing with a great deal of confidence and I believe we’re using her correctly,” Flory said. “You have to credit our back court passing to be able to create those opportunities. She was determined and played like somebody that was going to make sure this team was going to succeed today.”
Desiree Elliott and Madie Jones slapped seven kills apiece, while Elliott also was a force at the net with four blocks. Tania Schatow tacked on three kills on three swings.
The Tigers also had their swagger return to the back row as Lauren Waclawczyk garnered a match-high 11 digs and ripped a pair of aces followed by Meghan Mannari and Sam Delahoussaye with six and five digs, respectively.
LSU’s defense held a 9-4 blocking edge and maintained a 66 percent sideout efficiency. The Tigers also constrained South Carolina (3-12, 0-5 SEC) to a .149 hitting ratio for the match.
“We put the lessons we learned from Friday’s match into action today,” Waclawczyk said. “Our ball control was better, and I feel we did a better job of focusing in on our side of the net.”
Down 9-6 in the opening set, LSU put together a strong finishing kick with 19 of the last 24 points to emerge with a convincing 25-14 victory. Johnson set the Tigers to a crisp .583 hitting clip for the frame as Bensend and Williams teamed for 10 of the 15 kills.
“Our assistant Steve [Loeswick] did a great job of preparing Brittney for the match,” Flory said. “We learned from the Florida match that we needed to prepare more thoroughly in a couple of areas. Even with just one day of practice and preparation, she was able to regain confidence and her form.”
Set two started with eight ties and three lead changes before LSU used an 8-2 spurt to turn a 9-7 deficit into a 16-12 advantage. The run was fueled by three Williams kills coupled with a trio of South Carolina attack errors. The Gamecocks got back within two points at 17-15, but an Elliott-Johnson block jumpstarted four quick points capped by a Johnson ace to make it 21-15. LSU closed out the 25-19 win when USC committed its eighth attack error of the frame.
South Carolina charged out to a 5-0 lead to start the third set aided by four LSU hitting miscues. The Tigers fired back to catch the Gamecocks at 13-13 on a Bensend spike. A Waclawczyk ace vaulted LSU ahead for good, while a Jones kill provided the final blow to secure the 25-19 triumph.
“It was exciting to see our confidence shoot back up,” Waclawczyk said. “Whether it’s serving, passing or offense it’s about us. Once we fully understand that, we can be unstoppable.”
LSU returns home Friday to battle Kentucky, who is receiving votes in the latest edition of the AVCA Top 25 poll. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Maravich Center. Friday’s match marks “Daddy-Daughter Night” where fans can receive a free youth ticket with a purchase of an adult ticket.
Live video and live stats will be available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow live in-match updates on the team’s official blog at http://lsuvolleyball.posterous.com.