BATON ROUGE – The LSU volleyball team defeated Arkansas in four sets thriller Thursday afternoon by scores of 25-23, 24-26, 25-21, and 25-21. This is the first win of the spring season for the Tigers, they move to 4-8 on the season while Arkansas falls to 11-5.
“We decided that we were going to be patient and play on our side tonight,” said head coach Fran Flory. “We did a good job with that. Sixty-five kills is outstanding and it was balanced kills. Whitney Foreman was a super-star through both matches this week and I thought Anita (Anwusi) had some great matches as well.”
The Tigers are set to stay in Baton Rouge next week where they’ll square up in two matches against Ole Miss on Saturday and Sunday, both matches are set to begin at 1 p.m. CT.
The Tigers were able to hand the Arkansas Razorbacks their first loss in five matches in four sets, their explosive offense was led by Taylor Bannister who had a match high 17 kills and eight digs.
Whitney Foreman put on a show for the Tigers where she tallied 12 kills on 25 attacks with only two errors to record a career-high .435 hitting percentage.
Paige Flickinger tallied 15 kills, seven digs and three aces in the match, and Hannah Brister added 12 digs and 8 kills for the Tigers.
Raigen Cianciulli recorded a match high with 19 digs, adding to her career total and the LSU career record she broke last night. Karli Rose was able to put up four kills, 54 assists, and 13 digs on the match helping with the victory.
“We met with Karli this morning to simplify some things and she executed perfectly,” said Flory.
How it Happened
Set 1
- The Tigers were able to get the offense started early behind kills from Hannah Brister, Taylor Bannister, Whitney Foreman, and Paige Flickinger to take a 6-3 lead. Anita Anwusi added a kill to increase the lead, 9-5 over the Razorbacks. A kill from Foreman and an Arkansas error increased their lead, 14-7, and forced the Razorbacks to use their first timeout of the set.
- Arkansas was able to gain momentum after the timeout but a quick kill from Foreman was able to break it up and add to the LSU lead, 15-9. A kill from Brister was able to take the Tigers to an eight-point advantage, 20-12, but the Razorbacks responded with a 3-0 run and forced LSU to take their first timeout of the set.
- Post timeout the Tigers capitalized on an Arkansas error to break up the scoring run and move the score 21-16. Arkansas was able to close the gap late in the set and forced LSU’s last timeout, the Tigers still maintained a 22-19 lead.
- Foreman tallied a kill to break up the Arkansas run and moved within two of taking the set. Flickinger was able to tally the final kill of the set to take it, 25-23 over Arkansas.
Set 2
- The Razorbacks were able to take their first lead of the day over the Tigers, 7-2 but Bannister added a block to break up the Arkansas run. Arkansas increased their lead, 10-4 and forced LSU to take their first timeout of the set.
- Bannister was able to break up the 4-0 Arkansas scoring run to try and cut into the lead, 12-5.
- The Tigers added a 6-0 scoring run behind a Rose kill and Flickinger ace to move within four of taking the lead, 15-11. The Tigers rallied behind a 5-0 run with a kill from Foreman to even the score at 16 and forced Arkansas’s final timeout of the set.
- Back from the timeout LSU continued to make it an 8-0 run and take the 19-17 lead late in the set. The Razorbacks were able to take the lead 22-21 and forced LSU’s last timeout.
- Bannister was able to add an ace and Flickinger tallied a kill to make it set point LSU, 24-23 but Arkansas bounced back and won the second set over the Tigers 26-24.
Set 3
- The two teams tied the score early at 5 but Arkansas grabbed a 4-0 scoring run to take the 8-4 lead. Anwusi was able to break up the run with a kill, 8-5.
- Bannister added a huge kill to put the Tigers within four of the Arkansas lead, 12-8 and Brister tallied a kill to move the score to 12-9.
- The Tigers tallied a 4-0 run behind two key aces from Flickinger to force Arkansas to use their first timeout. The Razorbacks came out of the timeout and evened the score at 18, this forced LSU’s first timeout.
- The Tigers were able to string together a 3-0 run that gave them the two-point lead over the Razorbacks, 22-20. Foreman added a massive kill for the Tigers to go back up by two, 23-21. The Tigers capitalized on an error from Arkansas and closed out the third set 25-21.
Set 4
- The Razorbacks were able to get out to an early 5-2 lead but a kill from Bannister shifted the momentum to put them within two. A kill from Flickinger tied the score at 6 in the set behind a 3-0 run.
- The two teams battled the lead off one another, Arkansas pulled ahead with a 10-8 lead but a kill from Rose quickly put the Tigers back on the set, 10-9.
- The Tigers took the lead behind a kill from Flickinger 15-14, and the Tigers won a challenge on a Bannister kill to move the score 16-14.
- The two teams battled the lead again but Anwusi added a kill to even it at 18. Arkansas was able to take a 20-19 lead over the Tigers and LSU used their first timeout of the set.
- Back from the timeout Bannister added a kill and Emmaline Walters tallied the Tigers fifth ace of the afternoon to take the one-point lead, 21-20.
- Dylan Maberry grabbed a huge block for the Tigers to keep Arkansas off the board and moved within two of the victory, 23-20. Maberry closed it out for the Tigers with a big kill, her only one of the match, to take the fourth and final set, 25-21.