Overall Record: 9-3
SEC Record: 2-0
SEC Standings: 1st West
Last Week: 2-0
Sept. 16 – at Ole Miss [W, 3-2 – 15-25, 25-26, 27-25, 24-26, 15-6]
Sept. 18 – at Alabama [W, 3-0 – 26-24, 25-13, 13-25, 25-15]
Nominee for Offensive Player of the Week
Madie Jones, OH, Jr., Plano, Texas
Jones provided a pair of memorable performances as LSU finished opening weekend with back-to-back road wins against Ole Miss and Alabama to claim sole possession of first place in the SEC Western Division race. Jones hammered home 4.33 kills per set, a full spike above her season average, on a .364 hitting percentage and vaulted up to seventh place in the overall SEC’s kills rankings. The Plano, Texas, native slammed five of her then season-high 18 kills during the deciding frame versus Ole Miss. She got the Tigers off to a fast start and powered home kills for LSU’s first three points of the fifth set. Jones followed that up and blasted a career-high 21 kills on a .381 hitting clip against Alabama. In six of her nine sets on the weekend, Jones tallied five or more kills for the six-time defending SEC Western Division champions.
Totals for the Week
GP Kills Err. Att. Pct. Assists Aces Rec * Err Rec * Att Digs BS BA TB Team ** Hit Pct.
9 39 11 77 .364 0 0 0 4 1 1 2 3 .217
Nominee for Defensive Player of the Week
Meghan Mannari, DS, Jr., Frisco, Texas
Meghan Mannari racked up a SEC-best 43 digs as the six-time defending SEC Western Division champions was the only league team to post a pair of impressive road victories. The performances versus Ole Miss and Alabama lifted the Frisco, Texas, native up two spots to the No. 3 spot in the SEC dig rankings. Mannari racked up 22 digs, the second-highest output of her career, versus Alabama. She also secured 21 digs, the third-best performance of her career, during the Tigers dramatic five-set victory over the Rebels. In six of LSU’s nine sets, Mannari came away with four or more digs to notch a 4.78 per set average. She also was perfect on all 45 of her reception attempts.
Totals for the Week
SP Kills Err Att PCT Assists Aces Digs BS BA TB Team * Hitting %
9 1 0 1 1.000 1 3 43 0 0 0 .217
Nominee for Freshman of the Week
Malorie Pardo, S, Fr., League City Texas
Malorie Pardo put LSU back on the winning track as the Tigers were the only SEC team to start conference play with consecutive road wins on opening weekend. She handed out 12.67 assists per set, a full helper over her season average. The League, City, Texas, native posted fourth consecutive double-double fueled by a career-best 60 assists to go along with 12 digs during LSU’s five-set triumph at Ole Miss. Pardo ignited the Tigers to 12 kills and a .556 hitting percentage during the deciding frame. The four consecutive double-doubles for Pardo marked the first time a LSU freshmen has accomplished that feat since former All-American Daniela Romero in 2003. Pardo distributed 54 assists to cap the weekend at Alabama and spearheaded Madie Jones to a career-best 21 kills. The Tigers connected for over a .300 hitting clip during two of the four sets.
Totals for the Week
SP Kills Err. Att. Pct. Assists Aces Rec * Err Rec * Att Digs BS BA TB Team ** Hit Pct.
9 1 2 9 -.111 114 0 0 0 17 0 1 1 .217
Notes on the Tigers
The LSU volleyball team wrapped up its eight-match road trip in style and emerged from SEC opening weekend with a pair of hard-fought road wins over Ole Miss and Alabama. The Tigers improved to 49-3 against their fellow division foes going back to the 2006 season. Madie Jones led the charge with 39 kills at 4.33 per set ratio, a full spike above her season average, on a crisp .364 hitting percentage. She notched a then season-high 18 kills against Ole Miss, five of them coming during the deciding frame. The Plano, Texas, native followed up with a memorable encore performance and belted a career-best 21 kills versus Alabama. Jones has knocked 3.29 kills per set and vaulted up to seventh place in the SEC rankings. Nicole Willis emerged with a pair of career efforts. She cranked a career-high 13 kills during LSU’s five-set triumph over Ole Miss and garnered 12 kills on a career-high .417 hitting clip to cap the weekend at Alabama. The Tiger middle tandem of Desiree Elliott and Michele Williams combined for 50 kills to go along with 14 blocks. Elliott has posted 10 or more kills in eight consecutive matches, while Williams headlines the SEC with 1.21 blocks per set. The duo also checks in at fifth and ninth place, respectively, in the SEC’s Top 10 for points per set. Malorie Pardo compiled her fourth straight double-double and handed out a career-best 60 assists to go along with 12 digs versus Ole Miss. She lifted the Tigers to 12 kills on a scorching .556 hitting ratio in the decisive fifth set. The SEC’s leader in assists per set was the first LSU freshman to piece together four consecutive double-doubles since former All-American Daniela Romero in 2003. LSU’s back line kept the opposition to a .164 hitting percentage as the Tigers sprawled out for 16.56 digs per set. Meghan Mannari notched a SEC-leading 43 digs to surge up to the No. 3 spot in the SEC rankings and was a perfect 45-for-45 in reception attempts. She has picked up 10 or more digs in 10 of her 11 appearances this season. Lauren Waclawczyk continued her climb up LSU’s all-time digs list over the weekend and surpassed Lisa Smith (1984-87) for the No. 9 position. She has amassed 1,100 career digs and is 70 scoops away from passing former All-American Detra Brown (1983-86). LSU returns home Sunday for the first time since opening weekend and takes on Mississippi State for its third straight divisional tilt to start SEC play. First serve is slated for 1:30 p.m. inside the Maravich Center. Dating back to the 2005 season, LSU has collected a 149-47 record and claimed six consecutive SEC Western Division titles. The Tigers also have tallied the nation’s 11th-best winning percentage and are one of 18 programs nationally to secure six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances since 2005.