GULF SHORES, AL. – No. 6 LSU Beach Volleyball split its Saturday matches against No. 4 FSU and Mercer at The March To May tournament.
The Tigers went 2-2 on the weekend, defeating No. 10 Georgia State and Mercer while falling to No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 Florida State. LSU now sits at 13-4 overall on the season.
“Good weekend. So close, I think we’ve had these conversations before, every time we played, we haven’t gotten blown out by anybody,” said head coach Russell Brock. “That’s encouraging, but it also needs to be something that we are on the other side of. I feel more confident that we are going to get there after this weekend than I was after last weekend. Looking forward to the short bus ride back home, the day off and I’ve already check the weather for next weekend and it looks great, so looking forward to some good practice before we get to play at home in front of our fans again.”
No. 6 LSU started the day with a match against No. 4 FSU. The Tigers played hard, but eventually lost the match, 2-3. On Court 5, Melia Lindner and Amber Haynes lost both sets, 19-21 and 15-21. On Court 4, after winning the first set, 21-17, the pair of Lara Boos and Ella Larkin lost the nest two sets, 20-22 and 12-15 as FSU took a 2-0 lead in the match. The pair of Kylie Deberg and Ellie Shank were able to give LSU its first point in the duel, winning in straight sets, 21-17 and 24-22. The Court 3 pair of Hannah Brister and Reilly Allred won their first set, 21-19, fell in the second, 12-21, but were able to win the third, 16-14 to even the match at two. All eyes turned to Court 2 and the pair of Grace Seits and Parker Bracken. After falling in the first set, 13-21, the pair was able to rally and win the second, 22-20, to force a winner-take-all third set. The third set was a battle, but the Tigers eventually fell, 11-15, as FSU won the match.
The final match of the tournament for the Tigers pinned them against Mercer. LSU was able to end the weekend on a high note, sweeping the Bears, 5-0. Every pair was able to win in straight sets. On Court 4, Larkin and Boos won 21-13 and 21-11. On Court 5, Cassidy Chambers made her first appearance of the weekend as she and Lindner won, 21-17 and 21-14. Brister and Allred won swiftly on Court 3, 21-17 and 21-13, to clinch the match. On Court 1, Deberg and Shank won 21-12 and 21-16. Finally, on Court 2, Seits and Bracken secured the sweep, winning 21-16 and 21-14.
The Tigers will head home and prepare to host the Tiger Beach Challenge on Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 26 at the LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium. The Tigers will face the University of New Orleans, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the University of Washington, No. 4 Florida State again and the University of Southern Mississippi.
#4 Florida State 3, #6 LSU 2
1. Kylie DeBerg/Ellie Shank (LSU) def. Maddie Anderson/Paige Kalkhoff (FS) 21-17, 24-22
2. Anna Long/Jordan Polo (FS) def. Grace Seits/Parker Bracken (LSU) 21-13, 20-22, 15-11
3. Hannah Brister/Reilly Allred (LSU) def. Carra Sassack/Morgan Chacon (FS) 21-19, 12-21, 16-14
4. Caitlin Moon/Raelyn White (FS) def. Ella Larkin/Lara Boos (LSU) 17-21, 22-20, 15-12
5. Makenna Wolfe/Alexis Durish (FS) def. Melia Lindner/Amber Haynes (LSU) 21-19, 21-15
#6 LSU 5, Mercer 0
1. Kylie DeBerg/Ellie Shank (LSU) def. Lexi Polychrones/Jordan Paddock (MER) 21-12, 21-16
2. Grace Seits/Parker Bracken (LSU) def. Nicole O’Mara/Kate Hardie (MER) 21-16, 21-14
3. Hannah Brister/Reilly Allred (LSU) def. Sydney Benson/Jordan Thomas-Warren (MER) 21-17, 21-13
4. Ella Larkin/Lara Boos (LSU) def. Reese Hood/Hollis Engel (MER) 21-13, 21-11
5. Melia Lindner/Cassidy Chambers (LSU) def. Kathryn Corbett/Skylar Kelly (MER) 21-17, 21-14