COLUMBIA, S.C. – LSU is back to .500 after picking up its second consecutive victory by downing South Carolina in straight sets, 25-22, 25-23, 25-20 on Friday night at the Carolina Volleyball Center.
LSU is now 12-12 on the season and 5-8 in SEC matches. South Carolina falls to 9-14 and 3-10 in league play.
With the win, LSU improves its series record against South Carolina to 33-19 and has won eight of the last nine matches in the series, including three consecutive wins in Columbia. It was also LSU’s first sweep in SEC play.
LSU came out strong, hitting .316 in the first set and had a 77.0 sideout percentage to win the opening frame 25-22. The second set was tight with 14 ties and four lead changes, but the Tigers outlasted the Gamecocks 25-23. LSU suffocated South Carolina defensively in the third set, holding the Gamecocks to a -.051 hitting percentage in a 25-20 victory.
Junior outside hitter Jurnee Robinson paced the team with 19 kills on a .316 hitting percentage and added eight digs and one block. Junior middle blocker Angelina Lee dropped a season-high 13 kills and hit .478, and added three blocks, including a solo block. Junior setter Lauren Brooker handed out 41 assists, had seven digs, two blocks and one kill.
Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Jones led the Tigers with four blocks and added five kills on 14 errorless swings (.357), and junior libero Aly Kirkhoff had a season-best 19 digs in the win.
Set 1
Lee scored LSU’s first two points on a kill and a block, but South Carolina took its first lead at 5-4 behind a 4-1 run. The Tigers scored five of the following seven points to regain a 9-7 edge and held a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. Kills from Robinson and right side Camryn Jeffery capped a 3-0 run and forced the Gamecocks to call a timeout down 17-14. S.C. took its final timeout with LSU on top 21-17. LSU needed to call its first timeout with a 23-21 advantage, but the Tigers closed out the set with a 25-22 victory. LSU hit .316 in the set and finished with two blocks. Robinson paced the Tigers with seven kills on a .417 clip, followed by four kills from Lee, who had six swings with no errors (.667).
Set 2
Robinson and Lee landed kills to open the set, but SC used a 4-0 run to gain a 7-5 advantage. LSU took back the lead at 12-10, highlighted by three unanswered points, but South Carolina was ahead 15-14 at the media timeout. LSU called its first timeout down 17-15. The Gamecocks pushed their lead to 19-15 on a 4-0 run, but the Tigers evened the set with a 4-0 run of its own, and Lee found the floor for a second time in the run to take a 20-19 advantage behind five consecutive points. LSU and South Carolina traded points to 22, but a SC error and a kill from Robinson pushed the visiting team’s lead to 24-22, and Jones registered a kill to win the set 25-23 for a commanding 2-0 match lead. LSU held South Carolina to a .171 hitting percentage thanks to 18 digs and two blocks, and Robinson led the way with eight kills, followed by five and four kills from senior outside hitter Nia Washington and Lee, respectively.
Set 3
LSU signaled for time trailing 9-6, looking to put a stop to South Carolina’s 4-0 run. The Tigers responded quickly by tying the stanza, 9-9, and back-to-back combo blocks by Jeffery and Jones gave LSU a 14-12 lead. With all the momentum on LSU’s side, South Carolina took its final timeout trailing 17-14, and the Fighting Tigers went on to win the frame 25-20. Robinson and Lee put down five kills in the set, and Jones added two kills and two blocks.
Up Next
LSU returns to the floor on Wednesday, Nov. 12, against Georgia in Athens, Ga., before concluding the regular season at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La., on Friday, Nov. 14, versus Auburn.
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