BATON ROUGE — In their first home matches of the season, the LSU sand volleyball team (5-6) defeated New Orleans and North Florida on Friday at the Mango Beach Volleyball Club. The Lady Tigers never lost a match, going a perfect 5-0 against both teams and losing only two sets on the day.
“It feels really good to come out on top decisively, ”said head coach Russell Brock. “Being at home is a huge advantage. We had our fans cheering us on; we’re playing in the sand we feel comfortable in and we knew what to expect. It all boils down to what we’ve been preaching. It’s about being positive and executing and tonight we did it across the board.”
LSU got things started off in the first match with stellar performances from the four and five spots. Riley Young and Emma Hiller controlled things on court five with a 21-3 win in the first set. The pair took a 10-3 lead in the second set, but New Orleans fought back to tie the match at 18. The duo held strong, and Young tallied the match point to give LSU the 1-0 lead.
Katarina Raicevic and Carly Morris won in straight sets 21-6, 21-18 for the Tigers’ second point of the match.
The team did not slow down as Helen Boyle and Cheyenne Wood picked things up to hand the Privateers losses by 21-8, 21-5.
Cati Leak and Callan Molle put on a great show to win both of their sets by the score of 21-9, and on court one, Mandi Orellana and Katie Lindelow pulled away 21-16 in the first set after a 10-10 tie. The pair dominated the second set with a 21-8 victory to take the win for the Lady Tigers.
In their final match, LSU fought hard against a very scrappy North Florida team.
Young and Hiller won their first set on court five 24-22, but the duo dropped the second set 21-15. In the third, the Tigers took a 14-9 lead for match point. North Florida attempted a comeback, cutting LSU’s lead to 14-13. Young and Hiller closed things out on the next point to secure a 1-0 lead.
On court four, Raicevic and Morris went to an extended set in the first, coming out on top 23-21. The duo claimed match point at 21-19 for LSU’s second point of the match.
“If we go into the fours and fives and we can split those matches, we’re going to be happy,” said coach Brock. “To get two wins (at the four and five) lets the top three seeds play with such confidence, and it says a lot about how hard they played.”
On court two, Leak and Molle fell on 18-21 in their first set, but the duo rallied to win their next two sets 21-8 and 15-10.
The duets of Orellana and Lindelow and Boyle and Wood helped to cap off the sweep of North Florida, as both pairs won in straight sets, notching the fifth and final point for the Lady Tigers 5-0 victory.
The team returns to action tomorrow with play starting at 11 a.m. against Florida International followed by Spring Hill College at 2 p.m.
“(Heading into tomorrow’s matches) I think for us, it’s just about doing what we did today,” said coach Brock. “The opponent across the net is going to change, but our effort should stay the same. We should play with equal determination. If you go as hard as you can all the time, you know what your capable of and you have a chance to beat people. We’re not going to back down.”
Due to the potential for inclement weather Saturday, games will start as early as possible following the conclusion of other matches.
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.
2015 Tiger Sand Tournament
Match Results – Friday, March 20
FIU vs. UNO – FIU wins 5-0
1’s – Maryna Samoday/Anja Licka (FIU) def. Cara Sander/Celeste Ramirez (UNO) (21-8, 21-10)
2’s –Summer Nash/Kristine Monforte (FIU) def. Lauren Levy/Brooklyn Frank (UNO) (21-17, 21-13)
3’s- Darija Sataric/Anna Budinska (FIU) def. Sophie Gracey/Mikayla Sellers-Wiebe (UNO) (21-9, 21-8)
4’s –Marytna Gluchowicz/Savannah Davis (FIU) def. Camila Lau/Kelsea Hundtoft (UNO) (21-8, 21-9)
5’s –Marina Boulanger/Tina Toghiyani (FIU) def. Ashley Everett/Courtney Robles (UNO) (21-7, 21-5)
UNF vs. Spring Hill – UNF wins 5-0
1’s – Cameron McGuire/Cari Whitmire (UNF) def. Mallory Raulerson/Megan Haber (Spring Hill) (21-17, 21-18)
2’s- Tessa Alyman/Jess Kinlaw (UNF) def. Savannah Becnel/Julie Vujnovich (Spring Hill) (21-15, 21-18)
3’s – Tanner Garbutt/ Julie Tremblay (UNF) def. Amber Perkins/ Virginia Hicks (Spring Hill) (21-8, 21-12)
4’s- Ambre Desaulnay/Kimberly Ferguson (UNF) def. Andria Dytrych/Hannah Masoner (21-7, 21-10)
5’s- Ebony Gunn/Emily Davanzo (UNF) def. Madison Seuzeneau/Catherine Milwee (21-14, 21-15)
LSU vs. UNO – LSU wins 5-0
1’s – Katie Lindelow/Mandi Orellana (LSU) def. Cara Sander/Celeste Ramirez (UNO) (21-8, 21-10)
2’s –Cati Leak/Callan Molle (LSU) def. Brooklyn Frank/Lauren Levy (UNO) (21-9, 21-9)
3’s-Helen Boyle/Cheyenne Wood (LSU) def. Mikayla Sellers-Wiebe (UNO) (21-8, 21-5)
4’s-Katarina Raicevic/Carly Morris (LSU) def. Kelsea Hundtoft/Camila Lau (UNO) (21-6, 21-18)
5’s- Riley Young/Emma Hiller (LSU) def. Ashley Everett/Roblez (21-3, 21-18)
FIU vs. Spring Hill – FIU wins 5-0
1’s – Maryna Samoday/Anja Licka (FIU) def. Mallory Raulerson/ Megan Haber (Spring Hill) (21-18, 21-11)
2’s- Kristine Monforte/Summer Nash (FIU) def. Savannah Becnel/ Julie Vujnovich (Spring Hill) (21-17, 21-16)
3’s- Darija Sataric/Anna Budinska def. Amber Perkins/Virginia Hicks (Spring Hill) (21-8, 21-10)
4’s Marina Boulanger/Tina Toghiyani (FIU) def. Andria Dytrych/Hannah Masoner (Spring Hill) (21-8, 21-9)
5’s- Aren Cupp/Savannah Davis (FIU) def. Madison Seuzeneau/Catherine Milwee (Spring Hill) (21-10, 21-6)
LSU vs. UNF – LSU wins 5-0
1’s – Katie Lindelow/Mandi Orellana (LSU) def. Cameron McGuire/Cari Whitmire (UNF) (21-15, 21-17)
2’s –Cati Leak/Callan Molle (LSU) def. Tessa Alyman/Jess Kinlaw (UNF) (18-21, 21-8, 15-10)
3’s-Helen Boyle/Cheyenne Wood (LSU) def. Tanner Garbutt/Julie Trembley (UNF) (24-22, 21-15)
4’s-Katarina Raicevic/Carly Morris (LSU) def. Ambre Desaulnay/Kimberly Ferguson (UNF) (23-21, 21-19)
5’s- Riley Young/Emma Hiller (LSU) def. Emily Davanzo/Ebony Gunn (UNF) (24-22, 21-15)