BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU volleyball secured its first victory of the season in commanding fashion, sweeping South Alabama 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-15) on Saturday afternoon at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. With the win, the Tigers move to 1-1 on the year, while the Jaguars fall to 0-2.
The Tigers clicked offensively, hitting an efficient .323 with 45 kills and six aces. Defensively, LSU controlled the net, holding South Alabama to a .089 hitting percentage while registering seven blocks.
Outside hitter Nia Washington spearheaded the attack, leading all players with 16 kills on a .414 hitting percentage. The senior consistently found seams in the Jaguar defense and paced LSU in key moments. Outside hitter Jurnee Robinson followed with a strong all-around performance, tallying 15 kills on a .300 clip to go along with 12 digs, three blocks, and two aces. Robinson has two double-doubles in as many matches.
Middle blocker Jessica Jones had another strong showing with six kills and four blocks, while setter Lauren Brooker distributed the offense with 22 assists. Brooker also made her mark at the net, adding four kills on five error-free swings and two blocks. Freshman setter Takyla Brown contributed 12 assists and one ace in her second collegiate appearance, helping maintain LSU’s offensive rhythm.
Set 1
South Alabama scored the first six points of the match and led 10-7 when LSU spent its first timeout. The Tigers returned to the floor on a mission and eventually led 17-13, highlighted by a 9-0 run. The Jaguars pulled within one point at 19-18, but the Bayou Bengals closed, scoring six of the final nine points to win the opening set, 25-21. Washington led LSU with seven kills, and Robinson followed with six kills and three blocks. Jones also had three blocks in the set.
Set 2
LSU took an 11-6 lead on a 6-1 run to pressure South Alabama into an early timeout. South Alabama grabbed a 16-15 lead that included four unanswered points, to encourage the Tigers to take their first timeout of the set. After the break, Washington’s kill and ace put LSU back on top, 17-16. Although the Jags tied the set one more time at 20, the Tigers took a commanding 2-0 match lead after finishing the set on a 5-1 run for the 25-21 victory. Robinson landed seven kills on a .500 hitting percentage and had two aces in the frame.
Set 3
LSU built a 9-4 lead, highlighted by a 5-0 run early in the set, and South Alabama exhausted both of its timeouts, trailing 15-7. The Tigers led by as many as 11 points in the set and cruised to a 25-15 victory to secure the club’s first sweep of the season. Washington dominated the set with six kills on seven errorless swings (.857).
Up Next
LSU concludes its opening weekend with a 2 p.m. CT match on Sunday, Aug. 31, against No. 20 Baylor. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.
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