AUBURN, Ala. — LSU Volleyball (9-12, 5-7 SEC) swept Auburn (12-9, 5-6 SEC) 25-16, 25-23, 25-17 Friday night at Auburn Arena.
It was aces galore from the road Tigers, as they recorded a season-high 13 service aces. Outside hitter Paige Flickinger and right side Taylor Bannister each had a season-high five aces, while outside hitter Kyllie DeBerg added three.
“I did not think we were as good offensively as I had expected us to be, but our serving was outstanding,” said head coach Fran Flory. “Our serve receive ball was really good tonight as well. This is a good win and Auburn is a tough place to play and win at. I am proud of how we played during this stretch of matches and although we are tired, I love the fight that we showed.”
DeBerg led the way for LSU with 15 kills on a .361 hitting percentage and added seven digs. Bannister added eight kills, six digs, and two blocks to go along with her five aces, and middle blocker Anita Anwusi posted six kills and five total blocks.
Libero Raigen Cianciulli had a match-high 19 digs, and setter Ella Larkin also had a match-high 34 assists and eight digs.
For the second straight match, LSU held every opposing player to single-digit kills
Set 1
- LSU went on a 7-1 run early on to jump out to an 8-3 lead, as DeBerg landed five kills.
- Auburn gained some momentum and cut the lead to two at 11-9, but LSU snatched it back with five straight points to lead, 16-9.
- Three unanswered kills from Auburn helped them pull back within three before LSU won three of their own to lead, 20-14.
- After two consecutive kills from Anwusi, DeBerg served two aces in a row as LSU led, 24-15. LSU closed out the first set by a score of 25-16.
Set 2
- DeBerg’s good form carried over into the second set, as her eighth kill of the match tied things up at seven.
- Auburn was able to play to a 12-9 lead, but four straight LSU points, including a Flickinger ace put the road team up one.
- Auburn used a 6-2 run to lead 19-16, but another DeBerg kill plus an Auburn error cut the deficit to one. Middle blocker Allee Morris delivered a kill that leveled things at 21.
- After Auburn tied the set at 23, a service error and kill from Anwusi gave LSU the final two points and the set, 25-23.
Set 3
- LSU jumped out to a 6-1 lead, highlighted by two service aces from Flickinger.
- The stellar service from LSU continued, as Bannister fired off three consecutive aces to give the Fighting Tigers an 11-5 advantage.
- LSU went on another remarkable run, taking seven straight points to lead 18-7.
- Auburn went on a few runs to keep themselves in the match, but LSU kept a firm grasp of the lead and won the deciding set, 25-17.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will enjoy a bye week before traveling to Oxford, Miss. for a pair of matches Nov. 11- 12 versus Ole Miss.
Directly support LSU Volleyball by contributing to the Volleyball Excellence Fund today!
For the latest news and information on Tiger volleyball, visit www.lsusports.net/volleyball. Fans can also follow the team on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/lsuvolleyball and @lsuvolleyball on Instagram and Twitter.