BATON ROUGE – Battling rain and lightning all day, the LSU beach volleyball team extended it win-streak to 14 matches, defeating TCU and 11th-ranked Georgia State at the Battle on the Bayou at Mango’s Beach Club in Baton Rouge.
“Everywhere we have gone this year, we have played in bad weather and I think that prepared us,” said coach Russell Brock. “This is probably the toughest it has been. The opponents both were fantastic. To be in those conditions and come out with two substantial wins, says a lot about where we are right now at this point in the season.”
The first match of the day against TCU was about to get underway when a bolt of lightning struck, putting the match on hold for 30 minutes. After the delay, the Tigers and Horned Frogs squared off.
Emmy Allen and Megan Davenport got the Tigers off to a quick start on Court 4 following the delay. The duo earned a straight-set victory, 21-18 and 23-21. On Court 5, after dropping set one, 21-13, Riley Young and Maddie Ligon clawed their way to a 22-20 set-two win to force a third. The duo fell there, 15-13, as TCU evened the match at one.
The Court 2 duo of Haleigh Nelson and Mandi Orellana earned worked efficiently, controlling a straight-set win, 21-15 and 21-14. Olivia Powers and Hunter Domanksi took the first set, 21-9, on Court 3 before falling in set two, 21-19. The LSU duo clinched the Tigers’ 13th straight win after going extra points in the third set, 19-17.
After falling in the first set, 21-18, on Court 1, Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss clawed their way to another victory. The duo took set two, 22-20 before winning in the deciding set, 15-13, to give LSU the 4-1 victory over TCU.
LSU took on No. 11 Georgia State with first serve at 8:30 p.m. on Court 4. Allen and Davenport needed three sets to earn the victory. After winning the first set, 21-14, the duo dropped set two, 23-21, forcing a deciding set. Allen and Davenport took the court with a 15-13 set win.
Riley and Young bounced back from their loss against TCU with a straight-set win on Court 5 against Georgia State, 21-17 and 21-15.
On Court 3, Powers and Domanski got a straight-set victory for themselves winning 21-14 and 22-20, clinching the match for the Tigers.
Coppola and Nuss dropped the second set, 20-22, after taking the first set, 21-16. In the final set, the LSU duo got the victory, winning 16-14.
On Court 2, Nelson and Orellana won the second set, 21-19 after falling in the first, 21-17. In the third set, the LSU duo could not get the victory, falling 15-8. LSU defeated Georgia State, 4-1.
On Sunday, the Tigers will face No. 7 FSU at 10 a.m. prior to its regular season finale against Houston Baptist at 2 p.m. LSU will hold its senior tribute after the conclusion of the match against Houston Baptist. Sunday’s schedule can be found at the bottom of this page.
“We need to come out her and play well tomorrow,” said Brock. “It is our senior day and we plan to honor them by how we play against a couple really good opponents.”
#8 LSU def. TCU, 4-1
- Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Haven Hill/Cassie House (TCU) 18-21, 21-20, 15-13
- Haleigh Nelson/Mandi Orellana (LSU) def. Jillian Bergeson/Jaelyn Greene (TCU) 21-15, 21-14
- Olivia Powers/Hunter Domanski (LSU) def. Jordan Terral/Jensyn Bledsoe (TCU) 21-9, 19-21, 19-17
- Emmy Allen/Megan Davenport (LSU) def. Hannah Rogers/Avery Arellano (TCU) 21-18, 23-21
- Jordan Westendorff/Brooke Sassin (TCU) def. Riley Young/Maddie Ligon (LSU) 21-13, 20-22, 15-13
Ext. Kahlee York/Lilly Kessler (LSU) def. Kristy Wieser/Claire Doyle (TCU) 21-16, 21-19
#8 LSU Tigers def. #11 Georgia State, 4-1
- Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Annika Van Gunst/Teegan Van Gunst (GSU) 21-16, 20-22, 16-14
- Brooke Weiner/Tiffany Creamer (GSU) def. Haleigh Nelson/Mandi Orellana (LSU) 21-17, 19-21, 15-8
- Hunter Domanski/Olivia Powers (LSU) def. Olivia Stasevich/Georgia Johnson (GSU) 21-14, 22-20
- Megan Davenport/Emmy Allen (LSU) def. Amie Held/Kate Novack (GSU) 21-14, 21-23, 15-13
- Riley Young/Maddie Ligon (LSU) def. Allie Elson/Maddie Gordon (GSU) 21-17, 21-15
Ext. Cheyenne Wood/Lilly Kessler (LSU) def. Ashley McGinn/Mattie Johnson (GSU) 21-15, 21-15
Sunday:
8 a.m. – TCU vs UNO
9 a.m. – No. 11 GSU vs UNO
10 a.m. – No. 8 LSU vs No. 7 FSU
11 a.m. – JSU vs UNO
Noon – TCU vs GSU
1 p.m. – No. 7 FSU vs JSU
2 p.m. – No. 8 LSU vs HBU