AUSTIN, TX. – The No. 12 LSU Beach Volleyball team went 1-1 on day one of the East vs. West tournament, defeating No. 9 California.
The Sandy Tigs will compete in two matches on Saturday, starting at 8:30 AM CT against No. 2 LMU, then closing out the weekend against No. 11 Arizona State at 10:30 AM. After the weekend, the Tigers are back in Baton Rouge for the Death Volley Invitational, March 28-29.
“Today was big for us,” said head coach Russell Brock. “We’ve been improving and right on the edge of some great wins, but falling just short. This morning was another venture into that space. It’s frustrating to be close and just not be able to finish. I couldn’t be more proud of how our group responded. Coming back and beating a solid team in the second round says a lot about the character and fight our group has. Excited for the growth we showed and looking forward to some more really tough matches tomorrow.”
LSU began the day with a hard-fought match that eventually ended in No. 13 Grand Canyon’s favor, 3-2. Elle Evers and Skylar Martin got the first point on the board for the Sandy Tigs with a three-set win on Court 4; 17-21, 21-17 and 17-15. Aubrey O’Gorman and Julia Sprecher rounded out the first wave of matches falling on Court 2 in three sets; 21-18, 20-22 and 11-15 to even the dual score at one point a piece. Emily Meyer and Kate Baker fell on Court 5; 20-22 and 12-21, while Gabi Bailey and Parker Bracken won Court 1; 21-18 and 21-15 to make the dual score 2-2. With the match coming down to Court 3, Tatum Finlason and Camryn Chatellier fought hard but ultimately lost; 19-21 and 19-21.
After a break, LSU faced No. 9 California and defeated the Golden Bears 3-2 in a reverse sweep. In the first wave of play, the Sandy Tigs went down 0-2. Finalson and Baker lost Court 4; 17-21 and 18-21, while O’Gorman and Sprecher lost Court 2 in a three-set battle; 22-24, 23-21 and 13-15. Meyer and Martin put the first point on the board for the LSU winning Court 5; 21-18 and 21-15. With the pressure at an all-time high, freshman Evers and Chatellier kept the Tigers alive, winning Court 3 in three sets that went into multiple extra points; 21-15, 10-21 and 21-19. With the match on the line, LSU looked to their veteran players, Bailey and Bracken, to clinch the match on Court 1, winning; 21-21-11 and 24-22.
GCU 2, LSU 3
- Gabi Bailey/Parker Bracken (LSU) def. Adrianna Fero/Katie Keefe (GCU), 21-18, 21-15
- Rhea Kohl/Ines Piret (GCU) def. Aubrey Gorman/Julia Sprescher (GCU), 18-21, 20-22, 15-11
- Jessica Drake/Rebecca Drake (GCU) def. Camryn Chatellier/Tason Finlason (LSU), 21-19, 21-19
- Elle Evers, Skylar Martin (LSU) def. Karynn Garrow/Sophia Hladyniuk (GCU) 17-21, 21-13, 17-15
- Madison Bogle/Regan Holmer (GCU) def. Kate Baker/Emily Meyer (LSU) 22-20, 21-12
LSU 3, California 2
- Parker Bracken/Gabi Bailey (LSU) def. Emma Donley/Portia Sherman (CAL) 21-11, 24-22
- Gia Fisher/Sierra Caffo (CAL) def. Aubrey/Julia Specher (LSU) 24-22, 21-23, 15-13
- Elle Evers/Camryn Chatellier (LSU) def. Alex Adishian/Christina DeRoos (CAL) 21-15, 10-21, 21-19
- Mariah Pally/Ella Dreibholz (CAL) def. Katie Baker/Tatum Finlason (LSU) 21-17, 21-18
- Skyler Martin/Emily Meyer (LSU) def. Ella Sears/Jenna Colligan (CAL) 21-18, 21-15