GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The LSU volleyball team (11-4, 2-2 SEC) battled tough with No. 1 ranked Florida (11-0, 3-0 SEC) but fell in straight sets on Sunday afternoon in Exactech Arena by scores of 25-17, 26-24 and 25-23.
Senior Gina Tillis and freshman Taylor Bannister finished with a combined 22 kills, tallying 10 and 12 kills respectively. Along with her 10 kills, Tillis registered 11 digs for her 23rd career double-double and her seventh on the year.
Sophomore setter Anna Zwiebel dished out 32 assists, while freshman Raigen Cianciulli finished with 11 digs. Junior Lindsay Flory recorded a match-high three aces.
Fran’s Final Thoughts
“We gave it a great shot today. I am proud of how we fought and how we implemented our plan. We attacked them exactly the way we needed to, but I just don’t think we did it consistently enough. We fought like Tigers at the end and tried to make a nice run. We made some great plays and played some great defense. Our offense took a while to in rhythm and that was disappointing. I am proud of where we got today but also frustrated that we were a couple of steps off.”
Opening Set
LSU jumped out to an early 5-1 lead over Florida and pushed the lead to 7-3. But Florida went on 6-0 run to take a 9-7 lead over the Tigers. The Gators extended their lead to 17-12. LSU put together a 3-1 run to bring the score to 21-16 but the Tigers only scored once more as Florida took the first set 25-17. The Tigers hit .160 to the Gators’ .438 percentage.
Second Set
Florida got out a 4-0 lead, forcing LSU to take its first timeout of the set early. A 3-0 run for the Tigers, including back-to-back aces from Lindsay Flory cut the Gators’ lead to three, 8-5. Florida took a 15-10 lead. The Tigers cut the Gators’ lead to three and work their way back to tie the set up 22-22. A Jacqui Armer kill gave the Tigers a 24-23 lead but the Gators scored three straight points to claim the set 26-24 and take a 2-0 lead.
Third Set
LSU and Florida were tied up 3-3 but the Tigers used three straight points to take a 5-3 lead. The teams traded points but LSU got out to a 9-6 lead. A 3-1 run for the Tigers pushed their lead to 13-9 after Lindsay Flory‘s third service ace on the day. LSU took a 15-11 lead but the Gators went on an 8-1 run to take a 19-16. LSU held off the Gators for five straight match points but the Gators took the set 25-23.
Game Notes
>> Tillis’ 10 kills brings her career kill total to 960. She is now just 40 kills away from being the 22nd player in program history to reach 1,000 kills.
>> Bannister’s 12 kills is the seventh match on the year that she has recorded 10-plus kills. She has led the Tigers in kills in the last nine matches.
Next Up
LSU returns home for two matches next week against Mississippi State on Friday, October 6 at 6 p.m. and Arkansas on Sunday, October 8 at 1 p.m. in the Maravich Center. The Mississippi State match will air on the SEC Network, while the Arkansas match will be available on the SEC Network+.
Volleyball Social Center
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger volleyball, visit www.lsusports.net/volleyball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsuvolleyball along with @lsuvolleyball and @lsucoachfran on Twitter and @lsuvolleyball on Instagram.