MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF. – The No. 11 LSU Beach Volleyball team went 0-2 on day one of the East Meets West Invitational, falling to No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 LMU.
The Sandy Tigs will compete in two matches on Saturday, starting at 10:30 AM CT against No. 7 California, then closing out the weekend against No. 18 Hawaii at 2:30 PM. After the weekend, the Tigers are on the road for the third weekend in a row to Austin, Texas for the East Meets West tournament, March 21-22.
“Today was a great test,” said head coach Russell Brock. “The first match was definitely a challenge. You could tell that we were a little timid, not quite as aggressive as we should be. We had a great conversation afterwards and talked about how when you play good teams, you have to trust your game and continue to play as an aggressor. I was really happy with the response in the second match. I thought we played that way and the results showed. Anytime we play, we expect a win, and hope to get a win. We didn’t get one today, but there’s no doubt that we improved. Looking forward to tomorrow and the challenges that it brings.”
LSU began the day with a 0-5 loss against No. 2 LMU, where all courts lost in straight sets. In the first wave, Elle Evers and Skylar Martin lost Court 4; 14-21 and 19-21, while Aubrey O’Gorman and Julia Sprecher lost Court 2; 21-14 and 21-11 to give LMU the 2-0 lead. Tatum Finlason and Camryn Chatellier fell on Court 3; 12-21 and 9-21, while Emily Meyer and Kate Baker lost on Court 5; 16-21 and 19-21. Gabi Bailey and Parker Bracken finished the match on Court 1, losing; 16-21 and 16-21.
After a break, LSU faced No. 1 UCLA and lost a hard-fought game 4-1. Three out of the five courts went to three sets. O’Gorman and Sprecher fell on Court 2; 15-21 and 7-21. Evers and Martin lost a three-set match on Court 4 to round out the first wave of play; 14-21, 22-20 and 13-15. Meyer and Baker lost on Court 5; 21-23 and 19-21. Bailey and Bracken earned the only court win for the Sandy Tigs, winning Court 1; 23-21, 13-21 and 15-13. Finlason and Chatellier ended the match with a three-set battle on Court 3; 21-18, 18-21 and 11-15.
LMU 5, LSU 0
- Michelle Shaffer and Vilhelmiina Prihti (LMU) def. Parker Bracken and Gabi Bailey (LSU) 21-16, 21-16
- Chloe Hooker and Anna Pelloia (LMU) def. Aubrey O’Gorman and Julia Sprecher (LSU) 21-14, 21-11
- Abbey Thorup and Lisa Luini (LMU) def. Camryn Chatellier and Tatum Finlason (LSU) 21-1,2 21-9
- Isabelle Reffel and Magdalena Rabitsch (LMU) def. Elle Evers and Skylar Martin (LSU) 21-14, 21-19
- Tanon Rosenthal and G. Poletti Corrales (LMU) def. Kate Baker and Emily Meyer (LSU) 21-16, 21-19
UCLA 4, LSU 1
- Parker Bracken and Gabi Bailey (LSU) def. Sally Perez and Maggie Boyd (UCLA) 23-21, 13-21, 15-13
- Peri Brennan and Natalie Myszkowski (UCLA) def. Aubrey O’Gorman and Julia Sprecher (LSU) 21-15, 21-7
- Kenzie Brower and Ensley Alden (UCLA) def. Camryn Chatellier and Tatum Finlason (LSU) 18-21, 21-18, 15-11
- Alexa Fernandez and Kaley Mathews (UCLA) def. Elle Evers and Skylar Martin (LSU) 21-14, 20-22, 15-13
- Sophie Moore and Harper Cooper (UCLA) def. Kate Baker and Emily Meyer (LSU) 23-21, 21-19