BATON ROUGE – Malorie Pardo dished out 38 assists to spark the LSU volleyball team to a program single-match record .638 hitting percentage as the Tigers rolled to a 3-0 triumph [25-13, 25-13, 25-6] over Louisiana-Lafayette Friday in-front of a spirited 1,209 fans at the Maravich Center.
The Tigers (2-0) improved to 32-11 during their first tournament with Flory at the helm and already have secured their 12th consecutive winning opening weekend.
“We had a great effort and a great level of intensity throughout the entire match,” head coach Fran Flory said. “It was a great crowd, our students came out tonight with amazing support and filled the building with energy. The ability of our young group to maintain their intensity for an entire match was really a positive.”
Pardo, who made her first career start at setter, not only ignited Desiree Elliott, Madie Jones and Michele Williams to double figure kills but also career-high attack percentages. The trio racked up 34 kills on 43 swings with only one hitting miscue for an astounding .767 hitting clip.
Elliott powered home a match-high 14 kills on 18 swings en route to a .722 attack ratio, while Jones and Williams ripped 10 kills apiece. Jones’ 10 spikes on 12 swings and her .833 hitting mark tied for fourth-highest in program history for a single match.
Helen Boyle tacked on an all-around solid effort with seven kills, four digs, two assists and a block.
LSU played suffocating defense to limit ULL (1-1) to a .073 hitting percentage coupled with an impressive 88 percent sideout efficiency for the match. Lauren Waclawczyk sprawled out for a match-best 11 digs followed by Meghan Mannari‘s 10 digs and Sam Delahoussaye‘s five digs to spearhead the back row.
“Anytime a freshman starts her first match and sets a school record as a setter for hitting efficiency is a great sign of things to come,” Flory said. “Not only did Malorie create the hitting efficiency record, our defense provided that opportunity. We knew going into this weekend that our defense would be our stabilizing force. I think we played really well, maybe even a little better than expected. I challenged them to find their personality. We took a good step forward in figuring out who we really are tonight.”
LSU charged out to an 8-3 lead in the first set as four different players connected for kills. At 14-9 behind Mannari’s serve, the Tigers reeled off seven straight points behind two Boyle kills and three ULL hitting miscues to take control the frame. Jones added the final blow to complete the 25-13 victory.
Set two provided the same dominant 25-13 result highlighted by Pardo’s 14 helpers to aid a scorching .750 hitting performance. The Tigers used their quick tempo in transition to fuel Elliott and Williams to a combined 11 kills for the frame.
LSU claimed 20 of the first 23 points of the third set as Delahoussaye, Mannari and Waclawczyk all strung together long serving runs. Pardo went more to the perimeter which allowed Boyle, Jones and Nicole Willis to each notch a trio of kills. The Tigers secured the sweep with a 25-6 win, the six points was the third-fewest allowed in program history for a single set.
“We executed well,” Pardo said. “We’ve been practicing the fast tempo, but it’s a lot easier in matches. The middles and outsides got up fast so it was easy to find their hands. The passers did a fantastic job as well, it was a great performance all around.”
LSU concludes the Tiger Classic Saturday against Jacksonville State and Miami. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.
“Jacksonville State is a very good team,” Flory said. “They have a couple of players who have a hybrid serve that will be difficult to prepare for. We don’t have any court time to prepare so we’ll have to talk through that. With Miami, it’s the marquee match of the weekend. That’s the one our kids are pointing to, but I’m really proud of the way our kids have taken each match one step at a time. They’re getting better and better.”
Live video and live stats are offered through the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. In-match updates also are available via the program’s social media outlets at http://twitter.com/lsuvolleyball or LSU Volleyball on Facebook. Fans are encouraged to take advantage of the Geaux Free program and receive free admission for every home match this season compliments of The Advocate.
LSU Volleyball Quotes
LSU vs. Louisiana-Lafayette – August 26, 2011
LSU HEAD COACH FRAN FLORY
On the match …
“We had a great effort and a great level of intensity throughout the entire match. It was a great crowd, our students came out tonight with amazing support and filled the building with energy. The ability of our young group to maintain their intensity for an entire match was really a positive.”
On Malorie Pardo …
“Anytime a freshman starts her first match and sets a school record as a setter for hitting efficiency is a great sign of things to come. It’s a starting point for us. ULL is a nice team. I think we played really well, maybe even a little better than expected. I challenged them to find their personality. We took a good step forward in figuring out who we really are tonight.
On Desiree Elliot and Michele Williams …
“We sat them in the afternoon match because four games in a weekend for our middle hitters the way we run is a lot. To be able to get Madi Mahaffey and Brittani Peska some experience was vital. It also made Desiree and Michele hungry to be on the court. They haven’t sat on the bench much in their careers, so for them to sit and watch added a little fuel to the fire.”
On maintaining intensity …
“Our defense was very good to go with our offense. We knew going into this weekend that our defense would be our stabilizing force. We knew Meghan Mannari, Lauren Waclawczyk and Sam Delahoussaye would keep us on the court with just about anybody. Then you add Helen Boyle because she’s a great defender. They did a great job of creating. Not only did Malorie create the hitting efficiency record, our defense provided that opportunity.”
On looking ahead to two matches tomorrow. . .
“Jacksonville State is a very good team. They have a couple of players who have a hybrid serve that will be difficult to prepare for. We don’t have any court time to prepare so we’ll have to talk through that. With Miami, it’s the marquee match of the weekend. That’s the one our kids are pointing to, but I’m really proud of the way our kids have taken it one step at a time. They’re getting better and better.”
LSU SETTER MALORIE PARDO
On the match …
“We executed well, it was awesome to have a great crowd out there tonight. We thank them so much for their support. We’ve been practicing the fast tempo, but it’s a lot easier in matches. The middles and outsides got up fast so it was easy to find their hands. The passers did a fantastic job as well, it was a great performance all around.”
On the offensive options . . .
“It’s awesome having three options like [Desiree Elliott, Madie Jones and Michele Williams] them up at the net. I can do anything because I believe in all of the hitters so it’s easy when the passes are there to execute.”
On two matches tomorrow. . .
“It’s going to be a challenge to come off tonight and stay ready to play tomorrow. It will be important to get enough rest so we can come out tomorrow and do the same thing all over again.”