Volleyball Downs Boston College, 3-1

BATON ROUGE, La. – Three LSU players logged double-figure kills in a 3-1 (25-18, 25-22, 14-25, 25-21) victory over Boston College Thursday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

LSU moves to 7-2 on the season, and Boston College moves to 7-4.

The Tigers registered 58 kills compared to the Golden Eagles’ 48 to help rally in sets and pull away. LSU hit .219 on the night and had seven blocks and five aces. The Tigers also dug 64 balls, edging out BC’s 59. 

“I think we scored when we needed to from an attacking standpoint, and we were able to put a few more balls away than them,” said head coach Tonya Johnson. “They [Boston College] did out-block us, had more aces, and had a higher hitting percentage, but the key in rally scoring is can you put balls away, and we put balls away tonight.” 

Outside hitter Jurnee Robinson led the Tigers in kills for the seventh time this season, landing 16 in the match and had two blocks for a match-high 17.5 points. Robinson also contributed eight digs. Outside hitter Lainee Pyles finished with 13 kills on a .300 hitting percentage, marking the third consecutive match she has hit .300 or better. Middle blocker Angelina Lee recorded a career-high .533 hitting percentage on 10 kills and had a team-high three blocks in the win.

Setter Bailey Ortega played a balanced match, distributing 40 kills, nine digs, four kills, two blocks and one ace. All seven LSU players who registered kills had four or more kills in the match. Right side Jade Demps led the team with two aces, matched Lee’s three blocks, and had six kills and nine digs. Libero Aly Kirkhoff led the defense with 17 digs.  

Boston College’s Audrey Ross had 13 kills on a .414 hitting percentage, and Halle Schroder followed with 12. Middle blocker Anna Herrington had 11 kills and six blocks.   

Set 1

LSU led 15-10 at the first media timeout behind a 4-1 run. The Tigers continued to apply pressure, burning through both Golden Eagles’ timeouts to build a 23-17 lead. The Tigers would win two of the following three points for a 25-18 set victory. Robinson and Pyles led the team with six and five kills, respectively. 

Set 2

LSU burned a timeout after the Golden Eagles took an early 6-2 lead.

BC stayed hot out of the timeout, taking five of the next seven points to extend its lead 11-4. The Tigers rallied back with an overall 15-7 run, highlighted by a 5-0 burst, for their first lead at 19-18. After the Golden Eagles timeout, the visiting club regained the lead at 21-19, and LSU took its final timeout. However, the Fighting Tigers clawed back with a 6-1 run and scored the final three points to win the set 25-22. LSU had a .389 hitting percentage in the set, led by Lee’s six kills on six errorless swings. Robinson added five kills in the frame. 

Set 3

LSU called its first timeout down 7-2, and BC extended its lead to 10-2. The Tigers scored three consecutive points to spark a run that pulled the home team within four points at 13-9. However, the Golden Eagles separated themselves thanks to an 8-0 run for a 21-9 lead and forced a fourth set with a 25-14 victory.

Set 4

LSU called their first timeout, trailing 12-9 behind a BC 6-0 run. The Tigers erased the deficit and capitalized on a 4-0 run, which gave them their first lead of the set at 16-15. Boston College signaled for time, but LSU’s run continued, as its lead ballooned to 19-15 behind a 7-0 run. The Golden Eagles called its final timeout trailing, 22-17, but the Tigers secured the set 25-21. Pyles had four kills in the stanza, and Robinson hit .500 with three kills on six attacks.

Up Next

LSU will play a doubleheader at the PMAC on Friday, Sept. 20, with matches against North Florida at 10 a.m. CT and San Diego at 7 p.m. 

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