ORLANDO – The LSU volleyball team (5-4) continued its hot streak and pushed its win streak to three matches in a 25-18, 21-25, 25-18, 25-19 win over Florida Atlantic to finish as tournament champions of the UCF Classic Saturday afternoon at the Venue.
Junior Khourtni Fears was named the tournament MVP after an impressive weekend. She hit over .500 in two of three matches and finished with just five errors. In the match against the Owls, Fears finished with a .562 hitting percentage on 10 kills. She also added seven assisted blocks for the Tigers.
Flory’s Thoughts
“This was a really good weekend for us. We won three matches but also developed as a team. We grew up quite a bit and began to understand the level of play we are capable of. I am proud of their effort and excited to get back into the gym and train this week.”
Next Up
The squad returns for two matches at the Maravich Center. LSU takes on Baylor at 7 p.m. CT Wednesday and the match will be aired on the SEC Network. The Tigers welcome back more than 130 alumni and their families at 1 p.m. Sunday against Florida State. All home matches at the Maravich Center are free.
Opening Set
LSU took charge of the first set by hitting .452 and committing just two errors. Six players combined to out-block FAU 5-1 in the first frame. Freshman Jariel Tureaud led the way for the Tigers with five kills and Anna Zwiebel reached double-digit assists at 11. With a 23-13 lead, the Owls went on a 4-1 run but ultimately Tureaud’s kill gave the Tigers the opening set win.
Second Set
LSU hit .057 in the frame and committed 12 errors to allow FAU to even the match. Down 12-18, the Owls fired off on a 13-3 run to take the set. Gina Tillis and Fears led the way in the set with five kills each. FAU used a .172 hitting percentage and 7 blocks to take the set, 25-21.
Third Set
After allowing the Owls to come back and even the match, LSU fired back with a .324 hitting percentage on 15 kills and just three errors. Tillis finished with six kills and four digs in the frame to get to her second-straight double-double. The FAU offense couldn’t find its stride as the Owls hit .088 and committed eight errors.
Fourth Set
LSU closed out the match with a 25-19 win by taking advantage of seven FAU errors and the Owls’ .000 hitting percentage. FAU closed the set to as close as 13-12 after a service error, but the Tigers finished the set on a 12-7 run to take the match.
Team Notes
>> Tillis added her second-straight double-double after a 15 kill and 16 dig performance. It marked Tillis’ fifth double-double of the season and 10th of her career. The Rockwall, Texas native was named to the UCF Classic All-Tournament team after completing the weekend with two double-doubles.
>> Tiara Gibson added another strong performance with 11 kills and a .409 hitting percentage. The Tigers’ lone senior added a block solo and six assisted blocks over the four sets. Gibson was also named to the All-Tournament team after finishing with double-digit kills in two of three matches over the weekend.
>> Zwiebel added her second double-double of the weekend after a 42 assists and 11 dig performance. The Louisville native also added six kills on the match.
>> Kelly Quinn finished the match with 12 digs for second on the team.
>> With Gibson, Tillis and Fears reaching double-digit kills, LSU finished with double-digit kills in all three matches of the weekend.
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