BATON ROUGE – Madie Jones and Meghan Mannari turned in a pair of career performances to propel the LSU volleyball team to a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory [22-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-23, 15-6] over South Carolina Sunday at the Maravich Center.
“I don’t know the answer to this team, but I’m thankful that they have the fortitude and the drive to come back and finish when they have to do it,” head coach Fran Flory said. “We truly can’t keep doing this and survive. However, I’m proud of them for their effort and proud of them for they way they rebounded. I’m certainly excited that we are growing up as a team, gaining confidence and maturing which is ever so important for late this season and next year, as well.”
Jones ripped a career-high 23 kills behind a crisp .333 hitting percentage, while Mannari sprawled out for a career-best 39 digs to keep the home side alive and rally from a two-set hole for the second time this season. The 39 scoops for Mannari are the second-highest for a single-match in program history only behind former All-American Elena Martinez’ 43 scoops during a five-set victory at Alabama in 2007.
For South Carolina (12-15, 3-14 SEC), Juliette Thevenin hammered home 19 kills and 10 digs. Teresa Stenlund and Cara Howley chipped in 11 spikes each, while Megan Kent popped 10 kills. Defensively, Paige Wheeler collected a team-high 27 digs.
The win placed LSU (18-9, 11-6 SEC) back into sole possession of first place in the SEC Western Division race following an Arkansas loss earlier Sunday to No. 19 Florida in five sets. Both teams have three matches remaining in the regular season.
“Madie likes pressure situations, she thrives in that,” Flory said. “I think if we could create the match and make it hard from the start for Madie, she’d probably be good to go. There are players that are primetime players, and Madie has certainly proven to be that for us. She has great heart, possesses great spirit and great determination. When those things are put together, she’s flowing and really has a good feel of the game. She’s awfully difficult to stop.
Malorie Pardo delivered her team-leading 11th double-double of the season en route to a match-high 56 assists to go along with 12 digs and three blocks.
Michele Williams powered home 15 kills and tacked on five blocks. Desiree Elliott cranked 12 kills to extend her run to 10 consecutive matches in double figure kills. She also recorded a match-best six blocks.
Helen Boyle, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, notched 12 kills to give the Tigers four players in the double digit kills department.
LSU’s back row emerged with a 94-87 digs advantage. In addition to Mannari’s 39 digs, Lauren Waclawczyk corralled 15 scoops and slapped a trio of aces. Off the bench, Victoria Jacobsen reeled in a career-high nine digs.
“Meghan made every play we had to have her make,” Flory said. “I’m very proud of her effort, extremely proud of how hard she fought and the composure that she showed. Other matches, Meghan has gotten a little antsy and tried a little too hard. Today, I thought she had a much better, much calmer and much more controlled demeanor. Ultimately, it probably was the deciding factor in the match along with Victoria Jacobson stepping in to some quality playing time.”
Out of the locker room and down by two sets, LSU grinded out the third stanza by a 25-21 margin. Jones heated up for seven kills in the interval. The frame featured a bit of everything as one of the match’s longest rallies included Mannari losing a shoe, but continuing to play to help Boyle finish off the point with a kill. The Tigers used a strong finishing kick to wipe away a 19-18 deficit and won six of the last eight points to ignite the rally.
The fourth set proved to be the most dramatic when South Carolina grabbed a 23-21 edge on a Thevenin kill and were just two points shy from ending the match. LSU ran off the next five points capped by Williams and Jones spikes to secure a 25-23 triumph. The comeback triggered a huge roar from the crowd and gave LSU the boost it needed to finish off the match in the deciding set.
A trio of blocks all featuring Williams teamed with an Elliott spike kept the momentum on LSU’s side and raced the Tigers out to a quick 4-0 lead. LSU continued to push points and took a commanding 10-2 edge after back-to-0back Waclawczyk aces. Elliott delivered the final blow and vaulted the Tigers to a 15-6 margin to compete the comeback. LSU produced a balanced attack with Elliott, Boyle and Jones carrying the load en route to a match-high .500 hitting percentage.
“It’s really important for us to change our mentality when we’re down two sets,” Mannari said. “You have to start playing like there’s nothing to lose at that point. It’s your home court, all your fans are here and you don’t want to upset anyone. We had to take control of the match, play our side, play our pace and that’s what we did in the last three.”
Both teams had their offenses clicking on all cylinders in the opening frame. After splitting the first 30 points, LSU connected a trio of kills from Williams, Willis and Boyle to build an 18-15 advantage. South Carolina stormed right back behind eight of the next 10 points to surge ahead 23-20. The Gamecocks took advantage of a quartet of LSU hitting miscues coupled with two Thevenin spikes to fuel their run. The Tigers pulled back to 23-22 on a Jones kill. Out of a timeout, South Carolina got a Boyle service error, and Bethanie Thomas solo block on Pardo to emerge with a 25-22 victory. USC notched a match-best 72 percent sideout percentage in the set.
The two teams continued to play back-and-forth during set two. The frame featured a match-high 16 ties and seven lead changes. LSU was on the verge of evening the match after a Jones kill placed the Tigers ahead, 24-23. South Carolina responded with the next three points highlighted by a pair of Thevenin kills around a Stenlund kill to take a 26-24 decision. The Gamecock duo combined for 11 of USC’s 17 spikes in the stanza.
“She’s [Thevenin] a great player and we knew it would be a different match-up than it was without her at their place,” Flory said. “I think we kind of survived her. I felt like late in the match they got a little tired and lost their legs. They didn’t quite hit the same shots. We also were able to defend and get some block timing going. The best part for me was that our team maintained. We still were hitting the ball hard, we were still able to maintain in the long rallies. So, our fitness level saved us in this match.”
LSU returns to the road Friday to take on No. 18 Kentucky. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. CT at UK’s Memorial Coliseum.
Live audio and live stats will be offered inside the Geaux Zone at LSUsports.net, while in-match updates also are available via the program’s social media outlets at LSU Volleyball on Facebook or http://twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.
Volleyball Postmatch Quotes
LSU v. South Carolina – November 13, 2011
HEAD COACH FRAN FLORY
On winning in five sets …
“I don’t know the answer to this team, but I’m thankful that they have the fortitude and the drive to come back and finish when they have to do it. We truly can’t keep doing this and survive. However, I’m proud of them for their effort and proud of them for they way they rebounded. I’m certainly excited that we are growing up as a team, gaining confidence and maturing which is ever so important for late this season and next year, as well.”
On being back on top in the SEC West …
“I’m thankful for that. Arkansas is playing very well, and we kind of thought that would be a tight match. You have to credit Florida for coming back. We have a lot of teams that are very capable and any day people can beat anybody else in the league. The bottom line is the SEC, and the SEC competition top to bottom is really tough. There are no easy matches and no days off. Our team really has to take that message to heart, understand it and prepare a little better for some of these matches. Thankfully, they have it in them to finish.”
On Meghan Mannari‘s performance …
“Meghan made every play we had to have her make. I’m very proud of her effort, extremely proud of how hard she fought and the composure that she showed. Other matches, Meghan has gotten a little antsy and tried a little too hard. Today, I thought she had a much better, much calmer and much more controlled demeanor. Ultimately, it probably was the deciding factor in the match along with Victoria Jacobson stepping in to some quality playing time.”
On Madie Jones‘ performance …
“Madie likes pressure situations, she thrives in that. I think if we could create the match and make it hard from the start for Madie, she’d probably be good to go. There are players that are primetime players, and Madie has certainly proven to be that for us. She has great heart, possesses great spirit and great determination. When those things are put together, she’s flowing and really has a good feel of the game. She’s awfully difficult to stop.
On South Carolina’s Juliette Thevenin’s performance …
“She’s a great player and we knew it would be a different match-up than it was without her at their place. I think we kind of survived her. I felt like late in the match they got a little tired and lost their legs. They didn’t quite hit the same shots. We also were able to defend and get some block timing going. The best part for me was that our team maintained. We still were hitting the ball hard, we were still able to maintain in the long rallies. So, our fitness level saved us in this match.”
On the upcoming road game against Kentucky …
“Definitely the two toughest teams in the SEC, there’s no question. The two most physical and balanced squads. I think Kentucky may be the best defensive team in the league. They’re not putting up the numbers in terms of digs per set, but they keep so many balls in play. I think Stephanie Klefot is a great libero. They’re big, they’re long and they give you little pieces of the court to hit into. So, we’re going to have to be very precise offensively. We’re going to have to be very patient and a great job at block coverage to keep ourselves in the match. We didn’t play very well against them on our home court earlier this season. I think our kids walked off the court thinking they could have had a better performance.”
LIBERO MEGHAN MANNARI
On the team’s effort …
“It’s really important for us to change our mentality when we’re down two sets. You have to start playing like there’s nothing to lose at that point. It’s your home court, all your fans are here and you don’t want to upset anyone. We had to take control of the match, play our side, play our pace and that’s what we did in the last three.”
On the mindset in the last three sets …
“In the last three sets, we played more attack minded as opposed to defensive minded. We would start attacking them and going after plays. They were digging a lot of balls, and you have to credit South Carolina for that. If you keep going after them and putting the ball in play, they are bound to make mistakes. That’s what they started to do. Our hitters just took control, found the open spots and put the ball in play and score.”
On her defensive effort …
“Honestly, I can’t credit the blockers enough. They did an awesome job of getting, not only in front of the ball, but they left it open to where I just had to fill the seam. The coaches were telling us to line up on our hitters and play face up. We were just focusing on keeping the ball off the net, getting our hitters transitions sets and putting the ball away.”
On Madie Jones‘ performance …
“Madie, as always, did awesome. You always can trust her, even when she was getting blocked a couple of times. She kept swinging, kept going after it and the ball would eventually start to hit the floor. Regardless, our team has the most faith in her. We know she’s going to take care of business and put the ball down.”
On upcoming road match against Kentucky …
“We just have to focus on our side. Regardless of who we’re playing, if we do our things right and take care of the ball on our side, then we can beat anyone. We can stick with them, put the ball on the floor, get in front of their hitters and just take care of business. That’s what we’re hoping to go do.”