Baton Rouge, La. – The LSU Beach Volleyball team goes 1-1 on day one of the Battle on the Bayou Tournament, falling to No. 10 Stanford.
“Today was disappointing,” said head coach Russell Brock. “To be so close in a match that we had within our reach is tough to swallow. We believe in this team as much as any team we’ve ever had and so the challenge is to be motivated and committed as we get back to work tomorrow.”
On Saturday, LSU will face UNF at 10:30 a.m. CT and HCU at 2:00 p.m. Senior Tribute will follow directly after the LSU vs HCU match.
“We have an incredible opportunity ahead of us to compete for a Conference Championship and National Title,” said Brock. “We need to be prepared to play in a way that will give us that opportunity as we get back to work in the morning.”
The Tigers started off the day with a 5-0 sweep over Nicholls. All courts came out on fire and won in two sets. Melia Lindner and Amber Haynes dominated on Court 5 winning, 21-7 and 21-2. Ella Larkin and Lara Boos came out on fire winning Court 4, 21-8 and 21-6. Elizabeth Masters and Ellie Shank took care of business on Court 2 winning, 21-4 and 21-11. Kylie DeBerg and Parker Bracken won Court 1, 21-10 and 21-16. Grace Seits and Hannah Brister finished off the match winning Court 3, 21-14 and 21-10.
After a break, LSU faced No. 10 Stanford and lost the battle 3-2. Lindner and Haynes battled for the win on Court 5 winning in three sets; 15-21, 21-17 and 15-6. Boos and Larkin also went to three sets on Court 4 but lost; 21-14, 16-21 and 11-15. Brister and Reilly Allred came out on top in two sets on Court 3, 21-19 and 21-18. Seits and Bracken went to three sets on Court 2 and lost; 16-21, 21-14 and 11-15. DeBerg and Shank finished off the match with a three-set battle and lost; 21-18, 18-21 and 11-15.
Due to inclement weather, all games tomorrow will be played six across and to decision. For updates, follow @LSUBeachVB on Twitter.
LSU – 5, NICH – 0
- Kylie DeBerg/Parker Bracken (LSU) def. Katie Jones/Kennedi Steele (NICH) 21-10, 21-16
- Liz Masters/Ellie Shank (LSU) def. Aspen Steele/Luciana Chuong (NICH) 21-4, 21-11
- Grace Seits/Hannah Brister (LSU) def. McKenna Malone/Bethanie Durant (NICH) 21-14, 21-10
- Ella Larkin/Lara Boos (LSU) def. Alisha Wischkaemper/McKay Wilson (NICH) 21-8, 21-6
- Melia Lindner/Amber Haynes (LSU) def. Taylor Heeb/Kendall Battistella (NICH) 21-7, 21-2
Stanford – 3, LSU – 2
- Xolani Hodel/Maddi Kriz (SU) def. Kylie DeBerg/Ellie Shank (LSU) 18-21, 21-18, 15-11
- Charlie Ekstrom/Maya Harvey (SU) def. Grace Seits/Parker Bracken (LSU) 21-16, 14-21, 15-11
- Hannah Brister/Reilly Allred (LSU) def. Emmy Sharp/Kate Reilly (SU) 21-19, 21-18
- Ashley Vincent/Kelly Belardi (SU) def. Ella Larkin/Lara Boos (LSU) 15-21, 21-16, 15-11
- Melia Lindner/Amber Haynes (LSU) def. Sophie Kubiak/Line Andersson (SU) 15-21, 21-17, 15-6