Tallahassee, Fl. – The No. 8 LSU Beach Volleyball team went 1-1 on Sunday as they finished the weekend, 2-2 in the Mid-Season CCSA Tournament.
“We played well today,” said head coach Russell Brock. “Getting the sweep over South Carolina is always a great result. The second match didn’t go our way, but the effort and energy were where it needed to be. Two and two isn’t good enough for the weekend, but I think we are ready to make the commitment that it will take to improve to where we need to be over the next month. There’s a lot of hard work and commitment left for us to finish the season in a way that we will be proud of, and I think we are ready to do that now.”
LSU is back at home next weekend, March 29–30, for the Death Volley Invitational at the LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium. The Sandy Tigs will face No. 1 USC, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Stanford and No. 6 Cal.
The Sandy Tigs started the day with a 5-0 win over South Carolina, and all courts won in straight sets. Reilly Allred and Parker Bracken started things off for LSU with a win on Court 2; 21-13 and 21-17. Ella Larkin and Amber Haynes followed, winning Court 3; 22-20 and 25-23.
The freshman duo, Amelia Taft and Skylar Martin, won Court 5; 21-13 and 24-22. Emily Meyer and Yali Ashush won Court 4; 25-23 and 21-16. Gabi Bailey and Ellie Shank finished things off for the Tigers, winning Court 1; 25-23 and 21-15.
After a break, LSU faced No. 5 FSU and lost, 1-4. Bailey and Shank lost Court 1; 16-21 and 17-21. Meyer and Ashush lost Court 4; 10-21 and 16-21. Allred and Bracken lost Court 2; 13-21 and 19-21. Taft and Martin lost a tough battle on Court 5; 18-21 and 29-29. Larkin and Haynes won the three-set match on Court 3; 22-24, 21-16 and 15-9.
LSU 5, USC 0
1. Gabi Bailey/Ellie Shank (LSU) def. Skylar Allen/Allison Coens (USC) 25-23, 21-15
2. Parker Bracken/Reilly Allred (LSU) def. Riley Whitesides/Hannah Mackenhausen (USC) 21-13, 21-17
3. Ella Larkin/Amber Haynes (LSU) def. Julia Waugh/Jolie Cranford (USC) 22-20, 25-23
4. Emily Meyer/Yali Ashush (LSU) def. Abigail Lagemann/VB Trost (USC) 25-23, 21-16
5. Amelia Taft/Skyler Martin (LSU) def. Peyton Yamagata/Morgan Downs (USC) 21-13, 24-22
LSU 1, FSU 4
1. Anna Long/Alexis Durish (FSU) def. Gabi Bailey/Ellie Shank (LSU) 21-16, 21-17
2. Audrey Koenig/Raelyn White (FSU) def. Parker Bracken/Reilly Allred (LSU) 21-13, 21-19
3. Ella Larkin/Amber Haynes (LSU) def. Makenna Wolfe/Maddie Trusty (FSU) 22-24, 21-16, 15-9 4. Kaileigh Tuslow/Caitlin Moon (FSU) def. Emily Meyer/Yali Ashush (LSU) 21-10, 21-16
5. Angeline Bergner/McKenna Flaherty (FSU) def. Amelia Taft/Skyler Martin (LSU) 21-18, 29-27