BATON ROUGE, La. – In a thrilling season opener at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, LSU volleyball pushed No. 10 SMU to the brink before ultimately falling 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 16-25, 12-15) on Friday night.
The Tigers matched the nationally ranked Mustangs point for point and even outpaced them in several statistical categories, finishing with more kills (60-57), assists (60-57), and digs (60-57). However, SMU’s efficiency at the net and the service line proved decisive, as the visitors posted a .278 hitting percentage, 11 blocks and eight aces, compared to LSU’s .201 average, eight blocks and six aces.
Outside hitter Jurnee Robinson delivered an opening-night performance that featured a match-high 26 points on 25 kills while adding 12 digs and two blocks. It was Robinson’s 12th career 20-kill double-double and 18th overall. Outside hitter Nia Washington shined as well, recording 13 kills, a career-best 18 digs, and two aces to provide a steady two-way presence. Washington turned in her first double-double as an LSU Tiger and her 14th in her career.
In the middle, Jessica Jones anchored LSU’s blocking unit, registering a team-high eight rejections to go along with seven kills and two aces. The Tigers split duties effectively at the setter position between Lauren Brooker (26 assists, four blocks) and Takyla Brown (24 assists), who kept the offense balanced against a solid Mustang defense.
The crowd of 2,072 fans at the PMAC, the seventh-largest attendance figure in program history, was treated to high-level volleyball throughout the night, as LSU responded after dropping the first set by taking two straight, including a gritty 25-23 third-set win. SMU answered in the fourth to force a decisive fifth frame, where the Mustangs edged the Tigers late to escape with the victory.
Despite the loss, LSU’s spirited effort against a top-10 opponent showcased the team’s resilience and promise for the 2025 season.
Set 1
It was an early back-and-forth set with 12 ties and five lead changes by the first media timeout, where SMU led, 15-14. In that opening stretch, Washington paced the Tigers with five kills on six errorless swings to open her LSU career. LSU scored three of the following four points, but SMU rattled off three unanswered to force an LSU timeout, leading 19-17. The home team called a second timeout down 21-18, but SMU took the set 25-20, closing the frame on 9-3 run.
Set 2
LSU trailed 8-5 early but tied the set at 10 thanks to a 3-0 run and ultimately took a 12-11 lead after an ace by Jones. The Mustangs regained the lead and was on top 15-12 at the media timeout, but the Tigers responded again with a 5-2 run, to tie the set at 17. Robinson landed a kill to give LSU a 19-18 advantage, and the Tigers stretched their margin to 22-18 behind a 5-0 run. LSU leveled the match with a 25-20 victory led by Robinson’s five kills, Washington’s four kills, and Jones’ four blocks, two kills and one ace.
Set 3
The Tigers signaled for time after the Mustangs went on a 4-0 run to build a 12-9 lead. LSU called its final timeout of the set trailing 19-14 but stormed back with three unanswered points to cut the deficit to 3-0. LSU continued its run on the other side to tie the score at 20, and right side Tireh Smith aced the Stangs to give LSU a 21-20 lead. After a couple lead changes, Washington sparked a 3-0 run with a kill to tie the set at 23, and Jones’ second ace, followed by middle blocker Angelina Lee’s kill gave LSU the set 25-23 and a 2-1 match lead. Robinson finished with seven of LSU’s 10 kills in the set, matching SMU’s total kills in the stanza.
Set 4
It was all SMU in the fourth set as they led wire-to-wire and won the set 25-16 to force a fifth and final frame. The Mustangs hit a set-high .577 on 16 kills and 26 attacks with one error and added three blocks.
Set 5
LSU scored the first two points of the fifth, but SMU answered with five consecutive points to force an LSU timeout. With the Mustangs looking to take control with a 7-4 lead, a kill by Lee, an ace by Washington, and a kill by Robinson evened the set at seven, before SMU scored to make the score 8-7 in its favor as the teams switched sides. The Mustangs took a two-point advantage before back-to-back kills by Robinson tied the set 9-9, and the Tigers took a late 12-11 lead to force the visiting team into a desperate timeout. SMU responded to the desperation, however, by scoring the final four points of the match to win it, 15-12.
Up Next
LSU takes the floor again at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 30, against South Alabama. The match will be streamed on SEC Network +.
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