BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The LSU volleyball team finished its non-conference slate with a 3-1 setback versus Western Kentucky [20-25, 25-22, 22-25, 22-25] Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena to conclude the WKU Tournament.
In a battle of two teams receiving votes in the latest edition of the AVCA Top 25, the Tigers (7-3) lost back-to-back matches for the first time since the 2008 campaign when LSU lost consecutive road tilts to No. 25 Kentucky and Tennessee.
“I thought we fought extremely hard,” head coach Fran Flory said. “We created more offensively today than yesterday’s Xavier match so there was a positive step made in the right direction. When it came down to it, we didn’t execute to the level that we needed to late during those tightly contested sets. Ultimately, that’s what cost us the match.”
Desiree Elliott powered home a team-best 17 kills on a .379 hitting percentage and extended her run to six straight matches with double figure kills. She also tacked on four blocks and slapped two aces.
Michele Williams belted 15 kills and came away with a career-high nine blocks, nearly missing her first career double-double. In the process, she picked up a WKU All-Tournament Team nod.
“Michele carried a huge load for us during the entire weekend,” Flory said. “There’s not too many things that she couldn’t have done better for us. Desiree did a lot of those same things well that Michele did. She did a great job serving today and created some much-needed opportunities for us. Everyone in the country knows we’re a middle-based offense. The tribute to Michele and Desiree is that they’re still able to beat as successful as they are. That speaks volumes to the level of their play on a daily basis.”
Madie Jones connected for 15 kills and racked up a career-high seven blocks, while Nicole Willis chipped in six kills to go along with four blocks.
For the third straight match, Malorie Pardo notched a double-double. She passed out a match-best 48 assists and added 10 digs.
As a team, LSU won the blocking battle by a 14-8 margin. The Tigers also had three players collect 10 or more digs. Meghan Mannari amassed a team-high 18 digs to reach double figure scoops for the eighth time in nine outings. Helen Boyle garnered 14 digs for the Tigers.
The Hilltoppers (9-1) were paced by WKU Tournament MVP Jordyn Skinner, who racked up 13 of her match-high 21 kills during the final two sets. She charted nine digs and totaled four blocks.
“We started to try and do too much against Skinner especially in those last two sets,” Flory said. “We had her under control early, but we didn’t stay as focused on her as we needed to. She was able to get into her rhythm, put some balls on the floor and seize momentum when they needed it most.”
WKU controlled the opening stanza from wire-to-wire and claimed a 25-20 win. The Hilltoppers sided out at a match-high 76 percent clip and made the most of four LSU service errors.
The Tigers regrouped in set two and rolled to 17 kills, six of them off of Williams’ powerful right arm. WKU got back to within 19-18 before Elliott and Williams went to work. The duo popped two kill each, the last from Williams, as LSU took six of the final nine points to secure a 25-22 victory.
The third set featured a match-high 10 ties and five lead changes. Down 22-18 and out of its final timeout, LSU rallied with four consecutive points to knot the score at 22. An Elliott kill and ace sandwiched between Boyle and Jones spikes fueled the spurt. The Hilltoppers responded with the final surge aided by a pair of Skinner kills to take the 25-22 decision.
LSU erased another four-point hole during set four. Behind 18-14, LSU reeled off seven of the next nine points to turn the tables and grab a 21-19 edge. Jones and Williams put the Tigers on their backs with two kills apiece and teamed up for a block early in the run. WKU scurried back with six of the final seven points sparked by a trio of LSU attack errors for the final margin of 25-22.
“This was a great tournament for our team right before getting into SEC play because the venue is very difficult,” Flory said. “We needed to take care of business in these last two matches. We certainly showed great resiliency at different points, but we have to find a way to do it at a consistent level especially during long rallies and long matches. That’s a grow-up point that this team needs to make, and we’ll work hard this week in practice to help them to do that.”
LSU heads into SEC action Friday with a divisional tilt at Ole Miss. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Gillom Sports Center.
Live audio and live stats will be 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.
All-Tournament Team Members
Jordyn Skinner, WKU – MVP
Sarah Brown, Xavier
Kadija Fornah, Wake Forest
Elizabeth Lucich, Xavier
Paige Wessel, WKU
Michele Williams, LSU