BATON ROUGE – Madie Jones continue her hot play and belted 19 kills on a .333 hitting percentage to lift the LSU volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep over Mississippi State [26-24, 25-18, 25-17] during its SEC home opener Sunday at the Maravich Center.
LSU (10-3, 3-0 SEC) won its third straight decision and improved to 3-0 to start SEC play for the fourth time in the last six seasons. The Tigers also moved to 50-3 versus their SEC Western Division rivals since 2006, including 11 consecutive victories against Mississippi State.
Jones hammered home seven kills apiece during the first two sets and put together her six straight double digit kills performance. She also tacked on four digs and three blocks.
LSU’s middle blocker tandem of Desiree Elliott and Michele Williams combined to rack up 20 kills to go along with eight digs and four blocks. Elliott cranked 11 spikes for her eight consecutive double figure kills effort.
Helen Boyle and Nicole Willis provided five kills each, while Willis connected for a team-best .364 hitting clip. Boyle was solid on the defensive end as well and garnered 11 digs.
“We’re really excited but feel very fortunate to be 3-0 in the SEC after we didn’t put forth our best effort today,” head coach Fran Flory said. “We persevered and our back court defense led us once again. We lost our rhythm offensively in the middle, but what a great match for Madie Jones. She and Nicole Willis did a really nice job of taking big swings and putting the ball on the floor when we needed it the most.”
Mississippi State (6-7, 1-3 SEC) was limited to a measly .069 hitting percentage. It marked the seventh time this season that the Tigers have held their opponent to under a .100 hitting ratio.
Caitlin Rance, who entered the match with the third-highest kills per set average in the SEC, was bottled up for five kills and committed five hitting errors. Hannah Wilkinson, the SEC’s and NCAA’s hitting percentage leader at the beginning of the week, garnered five kills on a paltry .095 hitting clip.
LSU rolled to a 69-42 advantage in the digs department behind Meghan Mannari, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week. She gobbled up 23 digs to equal the second-highest output of her career and slapped two aces. The Frisco, Texas, native has come away with 10 or more scoops in 11 of her 12 outings.
Sam Delahoussaye also corralled 11 digs as LSU posted a 64 percent sideout efficiency along with a spotless 55-for-55 in reception attempts.
“We had a nice game plan,” Flory said. “You have to credit our assistant coaches Steve Loeswick and Jill Lytle Wilson for putting our players in the best positions to be successful. Steve came up with an excellent blocking scheme, and Jill put together a magnificent serving game plan. Our players were able to execute it. When those two things go together, you’re going to be very successful.”
Mississippi State controlled a majority of the opening set and grabbed a 17-13 advantage on a Nance kill. The Tigers responded with six of the next eight points capped by a Delahoussaye ace and an Elliott spike to deadlock the tally at 19-19. MSU charged right back and possessed a pair of set points at 24-22 before Jones, Willis and Williams carried LSU to four straight points for a 26-24 comeback triumph.
“We started off slow, but we decided that we were going to change the momentum of the match,” Mannari said. “We took control, and Madie did a great job of putting down balls on some crucial points. She got us the ball back, and on those critical runs that we needed to take the first set.”
After splitting the first 18 points of set two, LSU took control of the frame behind a 14-6 spurt. Jones and Elliott notched three kills each and teamed for a block during the run. Jones provided the finishing blast for a 25-18 victory.
Jones and Williams connected for a trio of kills to vault LSU to early 13-5 edge to start the third set. The Bulldogs would get as close as 16-13, but the Tigers answered with five of the ensuing six points to secure the sweep by a 25-17 margin. LSU’s defense held Mississippi State to three kills and a -.030 hitting percentage in the set.
“It was definitely exciting to be back at home and have our first SEC game so we could build up our momentum on our home court,” Jones said. “It’s so easy to be on the outside and hit into the block knowing someone is going to cover you. I’m able to swing away because of that.”
LSU continues its three-match homestand Friday versus Tennessee , who is receiving votes in the latest edition of the AVCA Top 25 poll. First serve is on-tap for 7 p.m. from the Maravich Center.
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 will have an opportunity to take part in the 2011 SEC Together We CAN Food Drive as they are asked to bring canned goods to the Maravich Center. The campaign will continue with each of LSU’s home events through next Sunday. The canned goods collected by the LSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.
For every home match, LSU volleyball also will be collecting books as part of its season-long book drive to benefit Everybody Reads Program through Volunteer in Public Schools. Fans are asked to bring new or used elementary level books to help local students. For more information, visit www.lsusports.net/geauxbooks.
Volleyball Postgame Quotes
LSU vs. Mississippi State – September 25, 2010
Head Coach Fran Flory
On the match …
“We’re really excited but feel very fortunate to be 3-0 in the SEC after we didn’t put forth our best effort today. We persevered and our back court defense led us once again. We lost our rhythm offensively in the middle, but what a great match for Madie Jones. She and Nicole Willis did a really nice job of taking big swings and putting the ball on the floor when we needed it the most.”
On Madie Jones‘ performance …
“Madie is just beginning to understand how good she can be. As she begins to understand that, she’s going to continue to get better. She’s been good in practice over the last couple of weeks and had nice preparation. I think she’s beginning to understand that when she prepares that way she’s going to perform at a high level. Certainly she has done all those things for the last couple of weeks.”
On persevering through the first set …
“I think our team decided they weren’t going to leave a set on this court. They made the decision that they were going to make all the plays that they had to make. They played a little harder in those crucial moments. We talked about in pregame about how luck is created. You don’t really have luck, you earn luck through playing hard and fighting through points. We didn’t do a great job of that at the beginning of the first set. I thought Mississippi State got on us quick, and we weren’t able to rebound until it got into the 20’s. We buckled down, started playing our style and we were able to finish the set. They gave us some points at the end which really honestly created the opportunity.”
On Malorie Pardo‘s ability to make adjustments …
“Malorie has done a tremendous job and carried a huge load for us at the setter position. Our expectations are extremely high for her, and there’s a lot of pressure to perform in that spot on the court especially as a freshman. I thought it was a tentative start for her. She wasn’t sure without her middles where she was going to the go with the ball at times, but she worked into a pretty good rhythm with Madie and Nicole. They started putting balls away, and we started to find our flow. Malorie is a great player who continues to work hard. We’ll get back into the gym, and she’ll continue to get better with each day that passes.”
On the Defense …
“We had a nice game plan. You have to credit our assistant coaches Steve Loeswick and Jill Lytle Wilson for putting our players in the best positions to be successful. Steve came up with an excellent blocking scheme, and Jill put together a magnificent serving game plan. Our players were able to execute it. When those two things go together, you’re going to be very successful.”
On Tennessee …
“Tennessee is probably the most physically and athletic team in the league. They’re fast, experienced and solid in every position across the board. That’s going to be a huge challenge for us. We’re going to have to have a really great week of practices and be very focused on how we are going to approach this match in terms of game plans, serving strategy, everything. These matches are the ones that determine championships at the end. We have a week to prepare. We’re going to be ready, and we will see what happens in the end.”
Outside Hitter Madie Jones
On being back at home …
“It was definitely exciting to be back at home and have our first SEC game so we could build up our momentum on our home court.”
On persevering through the first set…
“There was definitely a turning point where we looked at each other and decided that we weren’t going to allow Mississippi State to win a set on our home court. As a team, we decided to turn it around, push through and take the set. We definitely got through that, and I’m really impressed with my teammates with the stamina we showed to win that first game.”
On how Nicole Willis and Helen Boyle are able to compliment her on the outside …
“They had a block stacked up on our middles so Nicole, Helen and I got a lot of balls set to us during the match. I thought they did a great job of stepping out of their shells and putting some balls down on the floor. We definitely needed those kills.”
On the back row …
“It’s so easy to be on the outside and hit into the block knowing someone is going to cover you. I’m able to swing away because of that. They’re doing a great job. Every ball is up. If not, it’s a touch that we can do something with. They’ve gotten a lot better since the spring, and it’s really showing now.”
On Friday’s match …
“The games we have coming up next weekend are going to be a lot different then the game we just had. It’s going to be hard for us to turn around and play teams like Tennessee and Kentucky back-to-back. But we have to take it one match, one challenge at a time. We definitely have to work hard this week in practice. I don’t think they [the coaches] are going to let us off easy. We’re going to be back tomorrow at practice going hard and preparing for the next two games.”
Libero Meghan Mannari
On playing at home …
“It’s always great to play at home. The fans are awesome, and it’s always nice to know that they’re here to support us. Everyone comes out wearing the purple and gold, you see it in the crowd and it’s just a really great environment to play in to get a big win on.”
On not letting the first set slip away …
“We started off slow, but we decided that we were going to change the momentum of the match. We took control, and Madie did a great job of putting down balls on some crucial points. She got us the ball back, and on those critical runs that we needed to take the first set. We talked a lot about focusing on making our tempo easier for the middles to run. When we lift the tempo a little and give them time to transition back, they are able to put the ball down. We’re a lot more successful and have more control of our own team.”
On Madie Jones and the front row …
“Every time Madie goes up, I know that she’s going to put that ball down. If not, we’re going to be there to pick it up. She’s always up there swinging her hardest and trying her hardest. She’s doing everything that she can to score us a point. Usually, she’s very successful in doing it.”
On Friday’s match with Tennessee …
“We talked about Friday’s match afterwards a little bit. We’re excited about this win, but we’re ready to get back to practice so we can get better to prepare for our next match. Hopefully, we’ll be able to come out with another SEC win.”