BATON ROUGE, The. – LSU Volleyball (3-2) swept Iowa State (1-4) 25-18, 25-18, 25-13 on Friday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC).
With the win, LSU sweeps the first day of the Tiger Challenge.
LSU posted a .170 hitting percentage with a season-best 35 kills, 34 assists and 10 aces. Defensively, LSU recorded seven blocks while holding the Cyclones to a .046 hitting percentage, a season low for an LSU opponent.
“I thought we came out and played well,” coach Tonya Johnson said. “We stuck to the game plan from start to finish. One thing I talked about today was not running from pressure, but running to pressure, and I think they responded to that. Iowa State is a great team that is consistently in the NCAA Tournament. They are very physical, but we stayed true to ourselves and fought. The biggest key in this match was our 10 aces. We served a lot and got them out of system, and that’s what needs to happen when you play big, physical teams like this.”
Outside hitter Sanaa Dotson led the way offensively for the Tigers with 10 kills and three aces. Middle blocker Anita Anwusi finished with seven kills and a tally of four math blocks. Outside hitter Hannah Jacons also matched Anwusi’s seven kills and had two blocks. Middle blocker Alia Williams had five kills on seven attempts (.571 hitting percentage) and outside hitter Paige Flickinger found the floor five times and dished out 10 digs to go along with two aces. Setter Josie Vondran led LSU with 20 assists and three blocks and setter Maddie Waak had 11 assists while matching Dotson’s three assists. Libero Ella Larking had 19 digs in the win.
Set 1
- LSU grabbed an early 11-5 lead after a 5-1 run that forced Iowa State to call its first timeout.
- ISU scored three unanswered points out of the timeout, but LSU responded with a 3-0 run of its own to push the lead back to six, 15-8, and the Cyclones burned the final timeout.
- The Tigers extended their lead to seven, 17-10, but the Cyclones trimmed the deficit, making it 18-14 before LSU called a timeout. The home team’s lead continued to dwindle as ISU’s momentum picked up and the Tigers used the final timeout as they grabbed a 19-17 lead.
- At the timeout, LSU scored the next four points and closed it out with a 5-1 run to win the opening set, 25-18.
- Anwusi led the Tigers with five kills, while Dotson and Flickinger each recorded a team-high three kills.
Set 2
- LSU pulled away early, but a big 20-7 run lifted the home team to a 25-18 victory and a 2-0 lead in the game.
- Iowa State jumped out to an 8-4 lead to open the second stanza, but LSU flipped the script and took a 10-9 lead after six unanswered points.
- The Tigers extended their run and had a 19-13 lead when Iowa State called a timeout. LSU didn’t give up and cruised to another 25-18 set victory.
- Despite hitting .103, LSU outshot Iowa State, which posted a .059 hitting percentage. Dotson led the team with five kills in the frame.
Set 3
- The Tigers’ defense turned in two blocks and Dotson recorded a pair of aces to help give LSU an 11-4 lead, forcing an Iowa State timeout.
- LSU continued to run away with the set and led 20-9 when Iowa State used its final timeout. The Cyclones tried one last late push, but the Tigers took the set 25-13.
- The Tigers were led by Jacobs and Williams with three kills each in the set. LSU held Iowa State to a .000 hitting percentage in the third set to secure the win.
The next one
LSU will close out the weekend with a 3:00 pm game against No. 21 Penn State on Saturday. The match will be broadcast on SECN+.
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