Alabama volleyball moved to 0-3 on its four-game road trip, losing in four sets to LSU. This loss brings the team’s record to 2-8 in SEC play.
Set 1 saw Alabama go on a 4-0 run early to take a 6-3 lead it would never relinquish. The team ended the set by scoring 4 out of the last 5 points to win 25-21.
The Crimson Tide was behind in the second set 17-12 but rattled off a 5-0 run to tie it up before taking its first lead of the set at 22-21. However, the Tigers mirrored Alabama’s end to the last set, as they scored 4 out of the last 5 points to win the set 25-21.
The third set was back-and-forth early on, though LSU took control, eventually increasing the lead to 24-17. Alabama scored 5 points in a row, but the Tigers ended the Crimson Tide’s hopes of a comeback with a kill to win the set 25-22.
The fourth set saw the Crimson Tide dominating early, up by as much as six and having a 13-8 lead before LSU responded with 5 straight points to tie it up at 13.
From that point on, the two teams played tight, and neither team scored more than 2 straight points until Alabama was up 24-23 and had a chance to win the set. The Tigers then scored 3 points in a row to win the set and the match.
“Volleyball is a game of errors, and anybody can win these tight matches,” head coach Rashinda Reed said. “We’re in these battles and we’ve just gotta finish.”
Despite the loss, the team had a couple of solid performances. Outside hitter Sophie Agee’s .298 hitting percentage is her best mark in SEC play, and she also had a team-high 19 kills.
Libero Francesca Bertucci also performed well. Her team-leading 29 digs are a career high for her at Alabama.
“I feel like she read the game well and is covering the court well,” Reed said. “We were also able to cause a lot of chaos, and a lot of people were able to help [Bertucci] out, which caused her to do her job very well.”
Outside hitter Paris Thompson had 14 kills, her best mark in a month, and had a .256 hitting percentage to go along with four digs. Setter Kayla Keshock had a team-high 31 assists on the day to go along with five blocks, and middle blocker Chaise Campbell led the team in service aces with four and blocks with six.
The kills and hitting percentage gave LSU the advantage today. The Tigers had 64 kills, eight more than Alabama’s 56, and were also more efficient with their chances, with a .307 hitting percentage compared to the Crimson Tide’s .258.
“We just gotta keep battling the way we have, because these matches gotta go our way,” Reed said. “We just have to keep fighting and being consistent.”
Alabama’s next trip is to Gainesville for its last road game of the season, against the Florida Gators. The game will be played on Nov. 10 at noon CT on SEC Network+.
