ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The LSU sand volleyball team opened the UNF Sand Invitational Saturday by dropping a pair of 3-2 matches against Jacksonville and No. 11 Georgia State.
LSU’s Emily Ehrle and Cheyenne Wood started the day off on court four losing the first set, 21-19. The pair rallied back in the second set, winning 21-19, but fell short in the third set, 16-14. Emma Hiller and Riley Young competed close in three sets, but fell 15-11 in the third set. Helen Boyle and Laura Whalen took the match on court 3, 21-10, 21-18, while Cati Leak and Callan Molle won their match, 21-15, 26-24.
The Tigers completed the match with Mandi Orellana and Katie Lindelow falling short on court 1, giving Jacksonville the 3-2 victory. However, Lindelow and Orellana bounced back against Georgia State with a strong three-set win, as Boyle and Wood won their second match of the day in straight sets on court 3. The Tigers battled close with 11th-ranked Georgia State, but lost 3-2.
“When you lose so close and know the opportunities you left on the table, it’s frustrating,” LSU Sand Coach Russell Brock said. “Our goal is to move forward and recognize what we need to improve on. The nice thing about this is that we can come out tomorrow and improve and do better.”
The Tigers take the courts for day two of the UNF Sand Invitational tomorrow as they compete against Florida International at 8:30 a.m. CDT and College of Charleston at 10:30 a.m.
For the latest information on LSU Sand Volleyball, fans can follow the Tigers on Twitter and Instagram @LSUsandVB and @RussLSUsand, or on Facebook by liking LSU Sand Volleyball.
UNF Sand Invitational
March 14, 2015
Jacksonville 3, LSU 2
Koop/Strausbaugh (JU) def. Katie Lindelow/Mandi Orellana (LSU), 21-18, 21-14
Cati Leak/ Callan Molle (LSU) def. Prestes/Laskelle (JU), 21-15, 26-24
Helen Boyle/ Laura Whalen (LSU) def. Finan/Gesualdo (JU), 21-13, 21-18
Greshem/Swan (JU) def. Emily Ehrle/Cheyenne Wood (LSU), 21-19, 19-21, 16-14
Babowicz/Nushtayeva (JU) def. Emma Hiller/Riley Young (LSU), 21-16, 21-15, 15-11
No. 11 Georgia State 3, LSU 2
Mandi Orellana/Katie Lindelow (LSU) def. Button/Olivova (GSU), 14-21, 21-11,15-5
Rawls/Elson (GSU) def. Cati Leak/Callan Molle (LSU), 21-14, 21-17
Helen Boyle/Cheyenne Wood (LSU) def. Pickering/Dostalava (GSU), 21-18, 22-20
Wilson/Rohan (GSU) def. Laura Whalen/Emily Ehrle (LSU), 21-11, 21-7
Interwies/Fourspring def. Katarina Raicevic/Carly Morris (LSU), 22-20, 21-14