TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After winning the first set, the LSU volleyball team (19-8, 10-6 SEC) fell in the next three sets, dropping its road match to Alabama (18-12, 6-10 SEC) Sunday afternoon in Foster Auditorium.
Freshman Taylor Bannister led the Tigers offensively with a match-high 19 kills. Senior Gina Tillis registered her 11th double-double on the year and 27th in her career with 11 kills and 14 digs. Junior Toni Rodriguez added in 11 kills while freshman Raigen Cianciulli anchored the back row with a match-high 23 digs. Junior Lindsay Flory also added in 14 digs and sophomore Anna Zwiebel dished out a match-high 42 assists.
Opening Set
LSU fell behind early 7-4, but the Tigers worked their way back, going on a 9-2 run to take a 13-9 lead and forcing Alabama to a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Tigers extended their lead to 15-9 after two straight kills by Olivia Beyer and Taylor Bannister. LSU extended its lead to 20-12 and 24-14 with a 6-2 run. Beyer put down the final kill of the set to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead on the match. The Tigers hit .342 on the set with 18 kills on 38 attacks with five errors.
Set Two
The Tigers fell behind again in the second set, 7-4. Alabama pushed its lead to 9-6 and then 12-6, forcing LSU to take a timeout. The Crimson Tide went up by 10 points, 18-8 and LSU used its second timeout. The Tigers only scored six points the rest of the set as Alabama evened the match with a second set win of 25-14. The Tigers hit .152 to Alabama’s .371.
Set Three
The Tigers got out to a 6-4 lead but Alabama went on a 6-0 run to take a 10-6 edge. A 3-0 run cut the Alabama lead to 16-13. The Crimson Tide went up 20-16 but four straight points from the Tigers tied up the set 20-20. The Crimson Tide took a 24-21 lead but the Tigers held them off for two straight set points before the Crimson Tide claimed the set, 25-23, taking a 2-1 lead on the match.
Set Four
The Tigers trailed early again, falling behind 6-3. Alabama pushed to a 10-6 lead and a 13-7 lead forcing LSU to take a timeout. The Tigers went on a 4-0 run to cut the Alabama lead to 15-12. LSU came within two, 19-17, after a big kill from Gina Tillis. But the Crimson Tide pushed back up to a four-point lead, 21-17, forcing LSU to use its second timeout of the set. The Crimson Tide went on a 6-0 run to finish out the set, 25-17.
Up Next
LSU returns home for the final regular season home match of the year, playing host to Georgia Wednesday night for Senior Tribute in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at 7 p.m. CT. Stick around after the match for a post-match celebration of the four seniors.
Volleyball Social Center
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