Alabama
LSU
Volleyball Drops Hard-Fought Match to No. 17 LSU
9/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 24, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team fell at home to undefeated, and 17th-ranked, LSU in three consecutive sets (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) Friday before a crowd of 1,084 in the CAVE. The loss drops the Crimson Tide to 8-4 overall and 0-2 in SEC play, while the Tigers improve to 12-0 on the season and 3-0 against league opponents.
"We just needed to make the easy plays tonight," Alabama head coach Judy Green said. "I thought LSU played really well and did a nice job of keeping us off balance. There is a reason why they are undefeated. They rarely make mistakes. We now need to turn our attention to Sunday and get ready for our next opponent."
Freshman outside hitter Brianne Vande Griend led Alabama with 13 kills on the night, while sophomore libero Kelsey Anderson had a match-high 17 digs. Junior setter Stephanie Riley and senior setter Kayla Schmidt combined for 31 assists as well for Alabama.
Neither team was able to pull away early in the opening set until four unanswered points by LSU put the Tigers up 11-7 causing Alabama to use a timeout. The stoppage in play helped the Tide score the next two points, however LSU would go on a 6-2 run from there for the 17-11 advantage. Alabama cut the Tiger lead to three at 20-17, but would not come any closer with LSU taking the first 25-20.
Alabama began the second set with three consecutive points but lost the lead as LSU rallied to claim a 4-3 lead. The Tide would have the lead for the last time at 6-5 in the set; however the score remained close until the Tigers won six of eight points to break a 14-14 tie. The 20-16 lead proved insurmountable for Alabama and LSU claimed the second set 25-22.
The Tide took a 3-2 lead on a kill by senior Alyssa Meuth and wouldn't relinquish it for 26 points until Tiger senior Tania Shatow recorded a kill to tie the set at 15-15. LSU would close the set and match out on a 12-7 run that included eight kills.
For the match, the Tigers hit .393, while the Tide recorded a .243 overall clip. Combined, there were eight service aces with LSU collecting five and Alabama three. There were 16 total ties and seven lead changes throughout the three sets.
The Tide's next match is Sunday, Sept. 26, when it hosts the Arkansas Razorbacks at 1:30 pm CT.
