A Complete Match Leads LSU to a Sweep Over Arkansas on Senior Day

BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU volleyball team would not be denied on its Senior Day as the club dominated on both sides of the net in a 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-17) route against Arkansas Sunday afternoon at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

LSU improves to 14-11 overall and 6-8 in the SEC. The Tigers also finish the season 4-4 in SEC home matches. Arkansas falls to 16-9 this season and 6-7 in league play.

LSU gave the Tiger faithful a show Sunday afternoon, hitting .400 in the match on 38 kills and logged 10 aces in the win. The Bayou Bengals move to 5-0 this season when hitting over .300 and hit .400 or better for the second time this season (vs. Davidson on Sept. 7). LSU also recorded double-digit aces for the fifth time this year. Defensively, LSU held Arkansas to a .114 hitting percentage and had eight blocks and 39 digs. LSU has held an opponent under a .200 hitting percentage for the eighth time this season.

Lainee Pyles had six kills on the day on a .417 hitting percentage, registered a season-high five aces and added a solo block for a team-high 12.0 points. Jurnee Robinson led LSU with 10 kills and added five digs and one block, and Angelina Lee followed with nine kills on 12 errorless swings for a career-high .750 hitting percentage. Lee also had two blocks to match Robinson’s 10.5 points. Jessica Jones (.500) and AC Froehlich (.455) also tallied six kills. Jones led LSU with four blocks and had two aces, and Froehlich totaled three blocks and seven digs.

Bailey Ortega turned in 32 assists and had six digs, and Aly Kirkhoff led all players with 13 digs and had two aces in the win.

Aniya Madkin and Sania Petties led Arkansas with seven kills.

Set 1

Both clubs played their way to a 4-4 tie until LSU went on a 9-4 run, highlighted by a 4-0 burst to gain a 13-8 lead when Arkansas called for time. The Tigers increased their margin to double figures at 19-9 after consecutive aces from Pyles and led by as many as 12 points before winning the opening frame 25-15. The Tigers hit .481 in the set and had three aces. Lee led the team with five kills, followed by three by Robinson and Froehlich.

Set 2

The Tigers’ offensive onslaught continued as the home team led 5-1, featuring a kill and two more aces from Pyles. LSU cruised to a 15-9 lead at the media timeout, and Arkansas quickly called its first timeout, trailing 17-9 after consecutive blocks from Froehlich and Jones. The pause in action could not stop the Tigers; instead, it added fuel to the fire as an overall 6-1 run gave LSU a 21-10 lead, encouraging the Razorbacks to call their final timeout. The Tigers won the stanza 25-14, and Pyles accounted for the set’s final three points with a pair of kills and a solo block. LSU hit .409 while holding Arkansas to a .083 clip thanks to four blocks, including three from Jones. Pyles and Robinson led the way on offense with four kills each.

Set 3

LSU used a 5-1 run to build a 7-4 advantage and was on top 15-9 at the media timeout for the second consecutive set. A kill from Robinson and a combo block featuring Robinson and Lee gave the Tigers a 17-9 lead, which would be the largest of the set. Arkansas pulled within five points at 19-14 when LSU called its first timeout of the match, but the Tigers ended the frame by scoring six of the final nine points to win it 25-17. Lee owned the set with four kills and two blocks, including one solo block, and Robinson and Jones each contributed three kills and one block.

Up Next

LSU will play its final two regular season matches on the road, beginning with a 7 p.m. CT rematch at Texas A&M inside Reed Arena in College Station, Texas on Sunday, Nov. 24.

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