BATON ROUGE, La. – Returning home for the first time in two weeks, the LSU volleyball team squared-off with the visiting Missouri Tigers in the Maravich Center, going toe-to-toe with the visitors but were unable to match their offensive pace in a straight-sets (25-14, 25-21, 25-19) defeat Sunday afternoon.
LSU (9-15, 5-7 Southeastern) had a tough day offensively, hitting .043 in the match with 32 kills and 27 errors, while Missouri (21-4, 9-3) hit .220 as a group with only four more kills with 36, but just 12 errors in the contest, while limiting their unforced errors, as LSU would have Missouri on the ropes in the second only to have the visitors make a comeback to go up 2-0 in the match at that point.
“The game plan was to control the first contact. Serve tough and pass well and stay in system defensively. I thought when we were able to execute, we stood toe-to-toe with a team that has a chance to win the league. That’s a great sign,” head coach Fran Flory said. “The problem was we didn’t maintain it. We had too many missed serves in a row—four in row in the second set, which probably changed the outcome of that set. If we would learn to control the controllable and mature in the way we play and manage the game, then wins will start coming and we will have a great end to the season.”
Emily Ehrle and Katie Kampen each finished with seven kills to lead LSU, as Ehrle hit .200 with three digs, while Kampen finished second in digs with 12 as both numbers are season highs for the freshman. Mimi Eugene was the only other LSU player with more than five as she had six with eight digs and a service ace.
“I think we use this match as a stepping stone. We had a lot of new personnel in the game that we really haven’t had a lot of time to practice with,” Ehrle said. “Even though the outcome was a loss, we kind of got a rhythm with the new players, a new offensive rhythm.”
Lindsay Flory served up 14 assists for the Tigers, adding five digs, two kills and two blocks, while Cheyenne Wood added 13 and had two of LSU’s four service aces on the day.
“I think we really learned a lot with our new system and all of the new people playing. I think we are kind of finding our flow,” Lindsay said. “Our fight is really good. I think we are getting there. It’s going to be a process, but it will be good.”
Haley Smith led the match with 19 digs with an assist, while Brittany Welsh accounted for all but two blocks for LSU on the afternoon with four, including two on the solo end, also finishing with four kills and hitting .222.
Missouri’s Carly Kan and Kira Larson finished the day with eight kills each, as Kan also led Missouri with 15 digs. Courtney Eckenrode had 18 assists and seven digs, while Alyssa Munlyn had five kills and five blocks.
The opening set proved to be Missouri’s best of the afternoon, as the visiting Tigers hit .387, while LSU had 10 kills and 10 errors for a .000 hitting clip. LSU was able to spread it around a bit, as Kampen had three of LSU’s kills, while Olivia Beyer and Mimi Eugene had two each.
Down by three early, LSU forced the only tie of the set by getting a kill from Eugene and Kampen, capped by the first of Wood’s service aces to knot the set at 6-6. However, Missouri would get to the media timeout by going on a 9-3 run to lead 15-9. LSU would call both of its timeouts over the course of the next nine points, as although Missouri captured five, would extend its lead to 20-13 before going on to take the set 25-14.
Welsh came off the bench for LSU at that point and made her presence felt early in the second, attaining three of her four blocks in the set alone as Missouri had its worst set hitting .079, while also having two of the kills. Ehrle led the set with three, while Kampen and Eugene having two each.
By far the closest set was the second, featuring seven ties and four lead changes, LSU fought back from a three-point deficit to force the first few string of ties by going on a 4-1 run down 10-7 to knot the set at 11-11. At 13-all, the Tigers got two unforced Missouri errors and got a kill from Welsh to go up 15-13 at the media break.
LSU continued to fend off Missouri runs, as after falling behind by a point later in the set at 19-18 and calling a timeout, kills from Ehrle and Katie Lindelow and a Eugene ace put LSU up 21-19, forcing Missouri into using its first timeout of the day.
However, Missouri was able to settle down and put the clamps on the LSU offense, halting the team at the 21-point mark while closing out the set getting all six points it needed in a row to go up 2-0 by taking the second 25-21.
LSU produced its most kills of the day in the third, earning 12 backed by Ehrle’s four, while Smith had 10 of her 19 digs in the frame alone to help try and keep the match alive for the Tigers. Of the five ties and three lead changes, all came within the first 10 points, as a kill by Ehrle tied it for the final time at 5-5, as Missouri would go up by as many as seven in the set and hold off a small LSU run late to earn the sweep by winning the third 25-19.
“I think the biggest positive out of this match was that Brittany (Welsh) came off of the bench and did a great job. That was an exciting change to see. She’s been earning that through practice,” Fran said. “Even with this lineup, we have an All-SEC team sitting on the bench, all injured. Katie (Kampen) stepped on to the court playing six rotations for the first time and did a great job and held her own, ball controlled well, and made some great plays. The youth are getting great experience.”
LSU will be back in action on Wednesday night, traveling to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 7 p.m. in Fayetteville. The match will be televised live on the SEC Network.
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