TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The LSU sand volleyball team (10-8) fell to No. 4 Florida State 4-1 in their only match at the FSU Complex in Tallahassee. The team was schedule to play Carson Newman in their first match, but the game was called due to weather.
“We chatted for a little while after the match and I told the team it’s clear we’ve made progress,” said head coach Russell Brock. “We got beat in every set by them last year-we got dominated, but that’s how it should have been. They were the second best team in the country. This year we were pretty much in most of the matches. When we get in the sand, our goal is to win. We didn’t achieve our goal, but we had the opportunity to and we have to understand we’re still getting better, and it’s clear that we made progress from last year to this year against one of the better opponents in the country.”
After the weather delay, the Lady Tigers picked things back up with their final match against Florida State. On court five, Emily Ehrle and Laura Whalen fell in straight sets 9-21, 8-21 as the Seminoles took a 1-0 lead.
Carly Morris and Katarina Raicevic also fell in straight sets on court four 13-21, 14-21, as the Lady Tigers found themselves in a 2-0 hole.
Helen Boyle and Cheyenne Wood found themselves in an early battle in the first set with the Seminoles holding a 10-11 advantage. Boyle and Wood kept the score close at 15-16, but they couldn’t hang on as they dropped the first set 18-21. Florida State claimed the second set 14-21 to tally their third point of the match.
On court two, Cati Leak and Callan Molle fell in the first set 15-21. The pair battled back in the second, keeping it close at 10-11, but the Tigers were unable to pull out the win as the duo fell 18-21 in the final set.
On court one, Mandi Orellana and Katie Lindelow fought hard against the highly ranked pair of Victoria Paranagua and Kristina Pellitteri. In the first set, the pair took an early 12-5 lead. Florida State attempted a comeback, but LSU held on for the 21-19 first set win. Orellana and Lindelow found themselves down 8-13 in the second set, but the Tigers clawed their way back to reclaim the lead 19-16, as they finished off the Seminoles in straight sets 21-19.
“It says a lot about how good (Mandi and Katie) are. We put a lot of confidence in them throwing them out their against everyone’s top pairs,” said coach Brock. “The thing they’ve had to fight is the lack of experience together as a pair. They’ve had more and more opportunities to play together, and I think it was good to go out there against Florida State’s number one pair and win in that environment.”
The Lady Tigers travel to Siesta Key, Fla. this weekend for the Fiesta on Siesta Key Tournament. Opponents are still to be determined.
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.
LSU vs. Florida State
Tallahassee, Fla.- FSU Complex
April 7, 2015
1. (LSU) Mandi Orellana/Katie Lindelow def. (FSU) Victoria Paranagua/ Kristina Pellitteri (21-19, 21-19)
2. (FSU) Melanie Pavels/Taylor Nyquist def. (LSU) Cati Leak/Callan Molle (15-21, 18-21)
3. (FSU) Sierra Sanchez/Sarah def. (LSU) Helen Boyle/Cheyenne Wood (18-21, 14-21)
4. (FSU) Julie Brown/Katherine Plessy def. (LSU) Carly Morris/Katarina Raicevic (13-21, 14-21)
5. (FSU) Annie Montgomery/Vanessa Friere def. (LSU) Emily Ehrle/Laura Whalen (9-21, 8-21)