Overall Record: 5-8
SEC Record: 1-3
Last Week
Sept. 21 – Kentucky [W, 3-2 – 25-21, 22-25, 17-25, 25-20, 15-11
Sept. 23 – Missouri [L, 3-1 – 20-25, 23-25, 25-21, 22-25]
This Week
Sept. 28 – at Mississippi State [7 p.m.]
Sept. 30 – at Arkansas [1 p.m. – Televised by CST]
Nominee for SEC Defensive Player of the Week
Sam Delahoussaye, DS, 5-5, Sr., Madisonville, La.
Entering the weekend with only three career starts at libero, Sam Delahoussaye shined at the position as LSU split its matches versus a pair of 2011 NCAA Tournament foes in Kentucky and Missouri. The senior racked up 5.22 digs per set and was a perfect 32-for-32 in her reception attempts for the weekend. The Madisonville native corralled a career-high 25 scoops during LSU’s five-set win over Kentucky, a team receiving votes in last week’s edition of the AVCA Top 25. She saved her best effort for the biggest moment and secured seven of those digs during the fifth set. Delahoussaye also was a key part in LSU’s ability to covert 10-of-12 sideout attempts in the final stanza. She followed that up with a 22-dig performance, the second-highest total of her career, versus Missouri. For the first time in her career, Delahoussaye has pieced together double figure digs in five straight matches.
Weekly Totals
SP Kills Err Att PCT Assists Aces Digs BS BA TB Team * Hitting %
9 0 0 0 .000 1 0 47 0 0 0 .221
Nominee for SEC Freshman of the Week
Haley Smith, DS, 5-4, Fr., Meraux, La.
After picking up 23 digs in her first eight appearances, Smith exploded for a combined 36 scoops as LSU split its matches versus 2011 NCAA Tournament participants Kentucky and Missouri. She averaged 4.00 digs per set, nearly double her season total and was a spotless 32-for-32 in her reception attempts. The first-year defensive specialist posted a career-high 18 digs during LSU’s five-set triumph over Kentucky, a team that was receiving votes in last week’s edition of the AVCA Top 25. She followed that up with another 18-scoop effort against Missouri.
Weekly Totals
SP Kills Err Att PCT Assists Aces Digs BS BA TB Team * Hitting %
9 0 0 0 .000 1 0 36 0 0 0 .221
Notes on the Tigers
After spending 11 consecutive matches to start the season on the road, LSU split its matches during the opening weekend on its home court with a hard-fought, five-set victory over Kentucky but dropped a tightly-contest, four-set affair versus Missouri. The Tigers received a balanced offensive effort as Malorie Pardo distributed 13.00 assists per set fueled by a career-best 60-helper effort versus Kentucky. She also corralled 28 digs at a 3.11 per set average en route to her first double-doubles of the season. Desiree Elliott sparked LSU’s offense with 37 kills, a 4.11 per set clip, and garnered a .329 hitting percentage. She equaled her season’s best with 19 kills versus Missouri. Helen Boyle joined Pardo with consecutive double dips. She provided a 3.67 kills and 3.22 digs per set. She hammered home a career-best 18 kills to go along with 12 digs in LSU’s five-set win over Kentucky. Madie Jones added 29 kills and has reached double digit kills during all five of LSU’s wins this season, while Khourtni Fears tacked 2.00 kills and 0.71 blocks per set. Defensively, LSU’s back row unit was superb and claimed an astounding 19.89 digs per set. Sam Delahoussaye led the way from the libero position and sprawled out for 5.22 scoops per set. She posted seven of her career-best 25 digs and enabled LSU to sideout at an impressive 82 percent efficiency during the fifth set versus Kentucky. The Madisonville native followed that up with 22 scoops, her second-highest career total, against Missouri. Haley Smith nearly double her career digs total and posted back-to-back 18-scoop performances to claim new career-bests. LSU returns to the road with a pair of SEC Western Division match-ups versus Mississippi State [Friday – 7 p.m.] and Arkansas [Sunday – 1 p.m.].