Alabama
11-6, 3-3SEC
LSU
10-7, 4-3SEC
Alabama Volleyball Falls to LSU, 3-1, Friday in Baton Rouge
10/18/2019 9:23:00 PM | Volleyball
BATON ROUGE, La. – After dropping the first two sets, Alabama rallied to defeat LSU in the third and challenged in the fourth but the Crimson Tide ultimately fell to the Tigers, 3-1.
Alabama (11-6, 3-3 SEC) fell by identical 25-19 scores to LSU (10-7, 4-3 SEC) in the first two sets before winning the third by the same score to send the match to a fourth set. The Tide would draw within a point three times during the fourth frame but the Tigers maintained their lead each time, eventually winning 25-21 to end the match.
Senior Hayley McSparin led the offensive effort with a season-high 13 kills, pushing her past the 900 kills mark for her career. Freshman setter Emily Janek tallied her third double-double of the season with 41 assists and 11 digs. All three double-doubles have come in SEC play. Juniors Kaylee Thomas and Doris Carter also finished the match with double-digit digs, posting a team-leading 23 and a career-best 16, respectively.
STAT LEADERS
- Kills – Hayley McSparin (13)
- Assists – Emily Janek (41)
- Digs – Kaylee Thomas (23)
- Blocks – Hayley McSparin (3)
SET-BY-SET
- Set One (LSU 25, Alabama 19): Alabama scored the first point of the set before LSU scored four unanswered to move ahead by three. After five tie scores, the Tide would pull back ahead at 9-8 on a Tiger attack error and then score three more to make it a 12-8 game. A kill from Carter put Alabama ahead 15-11 at the media timeout and LSU took its first team timeout three points later with the Tide leading 17-12. The Tigers scored three unanswered after the break, forcing Alabama to spend its own timeout with its lead trimmed to 17-15. The run continued after, with LSU scoring three more to retake the lead, 18-17, and the Tide took its second timeout soon after down 20-18. The Tigers closed out the set with a 5-1 run, winning 25-19.
- Set Two (LSU 25, Alabama 19): The second set was neck-and-neck to start, with neither team able to take larger than a one-point lead until a block and a kill pushed LSU ahead 8-6. The Tigers continued to expand their lead, owning a 15-10 advantage at the media timeout. The margin remained the same at the 20-point mark and expanded it to an eight-point lead at set point, 24-16. Alabama looked to gather some late momentum, scoring three unanswered points before LSU ended the set at 25-19.
- Set Three (Alabama 25, LSU 19): LSU scored back-to-back points to start the set, but Alabama answered back with a 5-1 run to move ahead 5-3. A pair of 3-0 scoring runs helped extend the Tide's lead to 15-8 at the media timeout. Alabama continued to charge ahead, building a double-digit lead after a kill from redshirt junior Ashley Homan made it 18-8. Following an LSU timeout, the Tigers scored two points and the Tide called its own timeout to try and halt the momentum. LSU continued to chip away at the deficit, drawing as close as four points, but Alabama held its lead to win by six.
- Set Four (LSU 25, Alabama 21): With LSU leading 8-4 early in set four, Alabama scored three in a row to make it a one-point game. Momentum swung back the home team's way, with LSU leading 15-11 at the media timeout. The Tide came out of the break with three in a row to make it a one-point game again but a 6-3 run from the Tigers put them ahead 21-17 before Alabama took a timeout. For the third time in the set, Alabama would draw within a point as LSU took a timeout with its lead trimmed to 21-20. Yet again, the Tigers prevented the Tide from tying the score, pulling back ahead 23-20 before Alabama spent its final timeout. LSU would hold on to win the set and the match.
KEYS TO THE MATCH
- Ten errors at the service line hurt he Tide, its highest total in SEC play this season. LSU committed 11 but also balanced that with eight service aces opposed to just three from Alabama.
- Alabama hit .071 and .083 in the first and second sets, respectively, before bouncing back with a .205 clip in the victorious third set. The Tide improved again in the fourth, hitting .262, but LSU countered with a .378 clip in the deciding frame.
UP NEXT
Alabama returns to Tuscaloosa Sunday, Oct. 20, hosting 16th-ranked Kentucky (12-5, 5-1 SEC) at 2 p.m. CT in the Crimson Tide's annual Power of Pink match.
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaVball on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Volleyball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
