ATHENS, Ga. – Malorie Pardo equaled a career-high 60 assists, added 10 digs to compile her 10th double-double of the season and saved three match points on her serve during the fifth set to propel the LSU volleyball team to a gritty 3-2 triumph over Georgia [20-25, 25-17, 25-16, 21-25, 18-16] Sunday at the Ramsey Center.
LSU (17-8, 10-5 SEC) saved six total match points during the deciding frame to maintain its one-match lead over Arkansas, a three-set winner versus Auburn, in the SEC Western Division race.
Pardo fueled the Tigers to a .316 team hitting percentage as LSU’s offense had four players collect double figure kills en route to a 67-57 spikes advantage. The Tigers also racked up 13 blocks and edged out Georgia (10-16, 6-10 SEC) by a 60-59 margin in digs.
“This is a team that is beginning to believe that it’s going to win no matter what when it steps out to the court,” head coach Fran Flory said. “We’ve worked extremely hard to get to that point, and it’s nice to see the players reap the benefits of their hard work. I don’t think we want to be down six match points every match. We had so many players contribute make key moments. That’s the sign of a team that continues to get better, and I believe that our best volleyball is still ahead of us.”
Madie Jones powered home five of her 21 kills during the fifth set to equal a career-high. She was joined by solid all-around efforts from Michele Williams and Desiree Elliott.
Williams belted 19 kills and tallied seven blocks. In the process, Williams eclipsed former All-American Lauren DeGirolamo on the program all-time kills list for sole possession of 17th place.
Elliott made the most of her 21 swings and smacked 12 kills on a crisp .476 hitting ratio. She also posted five blocks. Helen Boyle cranked 11 kills and 10 digs to record her second straight double-double, while Nicole Willis garnered a career-best six blocks. On the back row, Meghan Mannari sprawled out for match-high 24 digs and tacked on three aces.
“There’s no doubt we’ve had an up-and-down season, but this was another confidence booster for us to know that we can win no matter what’s the situation,” Elliott said. “When we’re having fun and trusting in each other, it’s easier for us to be successful.”
Georgia was paced by Kathleen Luft’s 20 kills. Briana Bahr chipped in 15 kills, while Brittany Northcutt popped seven kills to go along with 19 digs. The Bulldogs also received 49 assists and nine digs from Kathleen Gates.
“We were frustrated with Luft and Bahr because they were teeing off on the ball,” Flory said. “There were points where we couldn’t get organized and get in-front of them. We stopped them periodically and at the very end of the match. That’s credit to our kids for staying with the gameplan.”
Georgia used a balanced attack to tally a team-best .393 attack percentage during set four. Bahr, Luft and Northcutt totaled four kills each, and the Bulldogs claimed a 25-21 victory to push the match to a winner-take-all fifth set.
LSU found itself on the brink down 14-10. Williams ignited one final flurry with a kill down the line from the pin. Williams teamed with Willis for a block on Luft to force Georgia into a timeout. Out of the break, Jones ripped consecutive kills to even the ledger at 14-14.
After a second Bulldog timeout led into a UGA sideout, Jones wiped away another match point with a cross-court kill to deadlock the score at 15-15. Luft and Williams traded spikes as LSU erased its sixth match point. An Elliott-Willis stuff on Northcutt coupled with a Boyle out-of-system kill vaulted the Tigers to the memorable 18-16 comeback win.
“The best thing about Madie and Michele is that everyone in the league knows that we’re going to set them and are still able to put up these types of numbers,” Flory said. “It’s a great tribute to their work ethic and volleyball abilities. I thought Michele was the key to the match because she took big swings when we needed them most. Her swings took pressure off of Madie and created better opportunities for her. I’m proud of both of them because they continue to come through in the clutch for us.”
Georgia controlled the opening set from wire-to-wire after jumping out to a quick 4-0 advantage aided by a pair of Gates aces. The Tigers caught the Bulldogs at 10-10 after a Williams solo stuff on Gates, but Georgia responded with six of the next seven points to regain control of the frame. Bahr slapped six kills in the set, and the Bulldogs secured a 25-20 victory.
LSU regrouped and raced out to an 11-4 edge to start set two. Williams hammered home a quartet of kills and added a block to fuel the run. Georgia trimmed the deficit down to 18-14 after a Luft spike. Following a LSU timeout, the Tigers found a strong finishing kick and ran off seven of the final eight points to win going away, 25-17. Williams nailed another kill, Elliott-Willis paired up for a block on Luft and Elliott slammed two more kills to highlight the spurt. LSU’s offense rolled 18 kills and blasted a match-high .400 ratio.
The third set was a carbon copy of the second stanza. LSU clicked on all cylinders out of the locker room and built a 10-1 spread behind of trio of blocks, all involving Williams. The Bulldogs found their rhythm as Luft heated up for five kills and got Georgia back to within 16-14. LSU finished strong once again, this time a 9-2 run, out of a timeout. The Tigers garnered five stuffs for the set, including a Boyle-Elliott block on Bahr to complete the 25-16 win.
“It was important for us not to make the situation too big,” Mannari said. “We took it point-by-point, and it paid off. Our block was very detailed-oriented and in the right spot every time. When it got by them, they challenged the ball to make the plays easier for the back row. They also did a great job of transitioning back on offense and putting the ball away.”
LSU returns home Friday to face No. 17 Florida for Senior Night. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Maravich Center. Admission is free courtesy of the Advocate’s Geaux Free program. After the match, the Tigers will honor Michele Williams and Lauren Waclawczyk for their contributions to the program.
Live video and live stats also are offered inside 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. KLSU 91.1 FM will carry the match live in the Baton Rouge area.
The Florida contest marks the final of four Friday Night Meal Deals featuring broiled Fish, rice pilaf and ratatouille. The meal is available for $7 starting at 6 p.m. inside the Courtside Club located at the Northwest Corridor entrance of the arena. Fans can reserve the meal in advance by emailing promotions@lsu.edu or by contacting Katie at (225) 578-5050.
For every home match, LSU volleyball will be collecting books as part of its season-long book drive, “Geaux Books”, to benefit the Everybody Reads Program through Volunteer in Public Schools. Fans are asked to bring new or used elementary level books to help local students.