BATON ROUGE – The LSU volleyball team racked up 14 service aces and 10 blocks to post its third consecutive sweep to open the 2011 season and dismissed Jacksonville State [25-9, 25-14, 25-12] Saturday at the Maravich Center.
Meghan Mannari cranked out a career-best seven aces, including four in a row during the third set to wrap up the sweep. She also corralled a match-high 10 digs as the Tigers (3-0) limited Jacksonville State to 14 kills and forced the Gamecocks (0-3) into a negative .041 hitting percentage for the match.
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“We’ve really worked hard on our blocking in the preseason, and I was really disappointed yesterday in that phase of our game,” head coach Fran Flory said. “We’ve talked about trying to be a great serving and blocking team as one of our preseason goals. Yesterday, we didn’t show to be that type of team. However, this morning that phase of our game showed up. You know, with a young team, it’s hard to play with all facets this early in the season. I think this was definitely a ‘grow up’ moment for us.”
LSU’s back row garnered a stout 72 percent sideout efficiency. Sam Delahoussaye tacked on seven digs, and the Tigers won their eighth consecutive August match dating back to the 2009 season.
LSU’s offense was just as impressive. Malorie Pardo handed out 30 assists and sparked the Tigers to an efficient .403 hitting clip. Pardo also chipped in four blocks and four digs.
Madie Jones belted a match-best 12 kills on 18 swings with only one error to register a .611 attack ratio. From the middle, Desiree Elliott filled the stat sheet with nine kills, five blocks, four aces and four digs, while Michele Williams slapped eight kills to go along with three blocks.
“This team thus far has proven to be a team that once they step on the accelerator, they’re going to keep pushing and pushing,” Flory said. “We waivered a few times during this match. However, when we asked them to respond, they responded very quickly and decisively. The ability to come back today after two matches yesterday and play a game again early this morning is a tribute to their willingness to be out there. They’re ready to play and ready to win. Our offense is clicking right now, and it’s nice to see.”
LSU led wire-to-wire during the first set and fired out to an 8-2 advantage aided by a pair of Jones kills. At 15-9, the Tigers used a strong finishing kick and reeled off 10 consecutive points for a dominant 25-9 triumph. Elliott tallied three aces, while Jones and Williams connected for three kills each during the run.
LSU kept the momentum in set two and raced out to a commanding 16-3 edge. The Tiger front row totaled four blocks and forced JSU into three additional hitting miscues. A Pardo-Williams stuff capped the 25-14 victory.
LSU continued with its same formula of success and jumped out to a quick 11-3 lead to start the third set. The Tigers maintained their cushion as JSU got within seven points on two occasions before Mannari provided a flurry of four consecutive aces to finish off the 25-12 win.
“I think it was really important for us to play great and execute last night, but I think it was also important for us to realize that we had new matches today,” Mannari said. “We’re glad for the win, but now we’re ready to refocus and take on Miami.”
LSU concludes the Tiger Classic later tonight against fellow 2010 NCAA Tournament participant Miami. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at the Maravich Center.
“Miami is definitely a veteran team,” Flory said. “They play very calmly, they play with few mistakes and they don’t get rattled. They’re experienced in so many more positions than we are, so this is going to be a true test for us tonight. Honestly, they have a whole lot more experience and some players that have performed on a higher level for a longer period of time. We’re going to have to come with a different and even higher level of intensity tonight and put it all together. Our offense and defense are going to have to show up on both sides today.”
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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.
Volleyball Postmatch Quotes
LSU vs. Jacksonville State – August 27, 2011
LSU HEAD COACH FRAN FLORY
On the team’s effort…
“This team thus far has proven to be a team that once they step on the accelerator, they’re going to keep pushing and pushing. We waivered a few times during the match. However, when we asked them to respond, they responded very quickly and decisively. The ability to come back today after two matches yesterday and play a game again early this morning is a tribute to their willingness to be out there. They’re ready to play and ready to win. Our offense is clicking right now, and it’s nice to see.”
On being a blocking and serving team…
“We’ve really worked hard on our blocking in the preseason, and I was really disappointed yesterday in that phase of our game. We have talked about trying to be a great serving and blocking team as one of our preseason goals. Yesterday, we didn’t show to be that type of team. However, this morning that phase of our game showed up. You know, with a young team, it’s hard to play with all facets this early in the season. I think this morning was definitely a “grow up” moment for us. Hopefully, we can maintain that through the rest of the day.”
On the offense …
“Last night was an amazing performance. To hit .403 today is a more realistic number. It’s still over the top. I think if you hit over .300 as a team, you’re going to put yourself in a position to win. To have over a .600 and .400 hitting percentages during back-to-back on opening weekend, is a great tribute to our hitters, ball control and certainly to Malorie (Pardo) for making some great decisions.”
On Madie Jones…
“We challenged her during the preseason and really pushed her through. We know she has to be really successful in order for us to be successful this year. She’s going to have to take a ton of swings, and I think the best part is that we’re able to create the right opportunities for her. We’re not asking her to only handle out of system plays yet. She is handling the in system plays as well. When you give outside hitters the opportunity to handle in system plays, they need to be able to finish and thus far she has been able to do that.”
On facing Miami…
“Miami is definitely a veteran team. They play very calmly, they play with few mistakes and they don’t get rattled. They’re experienced in so many more positions than we are, so this is going to be a true test for us tonight. Honestly, they have a whole lot more experience and some players that have performed on a higher level for a longer period of time. We’re going to have to come with a different and even higher level of intensity tonight and put it all together. Our offense and defense are going to have to show up on both sides today.”
LSU DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST MEGHAN MANNARI
On the importance of winning three in a row…
“I think it was really important for us to play great and execute last night, but I think it was also important for us to realize that we had new matches today. We’re glad for the win, but now we’re ready to refocus and take on Miami.”
On executing blocking and serving…
“I think it was really helpful to realize after the second game last night that we just needed to go after it. Don’t go soft on a few, just keep getting after it and attacking. As for blocking, they set up in the right spot and made it easy to play defense in the back row. They really did a great job of making an impact on the match.”
On the match tonight against Miami…
“I think it’s important to win tonight and defend our home court. We’re prepared for them (Miami). We’re going to come early, watch them and get ready for a hard-fought match. Hopefully, we will get another win.”