Hattiesburg, MS. – The No. 6 LSU Beach Volleyball team began its season Friday afternoon at the Beach Burg Invitational with a win over Florida Gulf Coast and a close loss to No. 6 FSU. Freshmen Camryn Chattelier and Elle Evers, along with sophomore Tatum Finlason and junior Gracey Campbell, all secured their first collegiate wins across both matches today. Meanwhile, veteran returner Parker Bracken reached a career milestone, earning her 80th win in an LSU uniform.
The Sandy Tigs will compete in three matches on Saturday, starting at 12:20 PM CT against North Alabama. LSU will then take on Southern Miss at 4:40 PM before closing out the day with a duel against Spring Hill at 6:50 PM. After the weekend, the Tigers will return to Baton Rouge to host the Tiger Beach Challenge from February 28 to March 1.
“Proud of how we responded to some really challenging conditions this morning,” said head coach Russell Brock. “The first match of the season is always a little tough, but the whole goal is to win that first one and we earned that first win.”
LSU began the day with a 3-2 victory over Florida Gulf Coast in their morning match to start the season 1-0. Evers and Campbell started things off for LSU with a strong two-set win on Court 5; 22-20 and 21-10. Skylar Martin and Finlason lost Court 4, going into extra points in the second set; 16-21 and 20-22.
Gabi Bailey and Bracken put up point number two on Court 1 with a dominant win in straight sets; 21-11 and 21-16. Emily Meyer and Chatellier clinched the match on Court 3 with a win in two sets; 21-16 and 21-14. Aubrey O’Gorman and Sprecher lost a three-set battle on Court 2; 21-13, 19-21 and 15-17.
“The second match was actually played much better against a solid opponent,” said Brock. “That’s a match that you’d love to win early in the season, and we played well enough to most of the time, but didn’t quite have enough to finish.”
After a break, the Sandy Tigs returned to the sand to face No. 6 Florida State, falling in a hard-fought match that was ultimately decided in a third set on Court 1. Evers and Campbell lost Court 5; 13-21 and 19-21, while Finlason and Martin got the first point on the board to even up the match with a win on Court 4; 23-21 and 21-19.
O’Gorman and Sprecher lost Court 2; 13-21 and 15-21 to give the Seminoles the lead heading into the later part of the duel. Meyer and Chattelier evened the match back up on Court 3; 21-18, 13-21 and 15-10. As the match came down to Court 1, Bailey and Bracken lost a three-set battle; 19-21, 21-18 and 11-15.
“Overall, with 6 players getting their first real opportunity in the lineup for our program, we had a good day,” said Brock. “One that we can, and must, build on for tomorrow.”
No. 6 LSU def. FGCU, 3-2
- Parker Bracken / Gabi Bailey (LSU) def. Nicole De Oliveira and Kaitlyn Luebbers (FGCU) 21-11, 21-16
- Jaci Carpenter and Emma Soncrant (FGCU) def. Aubrey O’Gorman / Julia Sprecher (LSU) 13-21, 21-19, 17-15
- Camryn Chattelier / Emily Meyer (LSU) def. Andrea Dietz / Sydney Majick (FGCU) 21-16, 21-14
- Alexis Keeter / Ava Lilliquist (FGCU) def. Skylar Martin / Tatum Finlason (LSU) 21-16, 22-20
- Gracey Campbell / Elle Evers (LSU) def. Erin Miller / Mia Thompson (FGCU) 22-20, 21-10
No. 6 FSU def. No. 8 LSU, 3-2
- Alexis Durish / Audrey Keonig (FSU) def. Parker Bracken / Gabi Bailey (LSU) 21-19, 18-21, 15-11
- Gella Andrew / Myriah Massey (FSU) def. Aubrey O’Gorman / Julia Sprecher (LSU) 21-13, 21-15
- Camryn Chattelier / Emily Meyer (LSU) def. Bailey Higgins / Carra Sassack (FSU) 21-18, 13-21, 15-10
- Skylar Martin / Tatum Finlason (LSU) def. Makenna Wolfe / Maddie Trusty (FSU) 23-21, 21-19
- Kenzie Hultquist / McKenna Flaherty (FSU) def. Gracey Campbell / Elle Evers (LSU) 21-13, 21-19