FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — To open the 2016 season, the LSU beach volleyball team defeated No. 5 Florida International and Jacksonville University in the FIU Beach Invitational, giving the squad its first team win over a ranked opponent in program history, along with a 2-0 record to start the year.
The Lady Tigers were pushed to three sets on four of the five pairings in the first match but defeated Jacksonville 4-1.
Callan Molle and Cati Leak fell in the first-set, 14-21, at the three spot. The duo rallied to take the second set, 21-19, but lost the third, 15-11, as the Dolphins would take a 1-0 lead.
Riley Young and Jeni Clark earned a close first set victory, 23-21, on court five, and after dropping the second set, the pair came back to take the third 15-11, giving LSU its first point of the season.
Number one pair Katie Lindelow and Ashley Allmer garnered a three-set win at the one spot to give LSU a 2-1 lead. Lilly Kessler and Helen Boyle won in straight sets on court two, and Cheyenne Wood and Mandi Orellana capped off the match with a victory in three sets 17-21, 21-11, and 16-14.
“I think we played tentatively (in the first match),” said associate head coach Russell Brock. “We were trying not to make mistakes…A little bit of that edge and attitude and confidence was missing, and it didn’t allow us to reach our potential. Jacksonville played well and we could have let some of those matches slip away, but we played hard and won some critical points.”
In the second match against FIU, LSU took the lead 1-0 after Leak and Molle won in straight sets, 21-15, 21-15, on court three. Lindelow and Allmer fell in three sets at the one spot, as FIU tied the match at one apiece. On court five, Victoria Boraski and Megan Davenport also took their game to three sets, losing a final set battle 14-16.
Despite being down 2-1, the Lady Tigers mounted a comeback for two more game points. Wood and Orellana claimed a straight set victory on court four, and Kessler and Boyle rallied to take their match to a third set. With the score tied at 10, the pair took five of eight points to lift LSU to a 3-2 win over FIU.
“I think from the beginning we’ve had high expectations,” said Brock. “We talk about getting better every practice and not leaving any opportunities by the wayside. If you play hard, you’re going to give yourself opportunities to win. We’ve gotten a little bit farther along as a team on what it means to fight together and play for LSU. It’s part of our development as a program. We expect to win big matches, and it’s the next step in the progression.”
“I was impressed with our commitment to the game plan and to each other. We talk a lot and train a lot. Unless it’s backed up in the game, it doesn’t carry much weight. When we ask them to fight for every point and when we see it in action, it’s very exciting.
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