by Matt Dunaway, Associate Sports Information Director
BATON ROUGE – LSU volleyball’s middle attack of Brittnee Cooper, Michele Williams and Lauren DeGirolamo combined to crush 38 kills on a scorching .567 hitting percentage as the Tigers blew past No. 6 Florida [28-26, 25-20, 25-22] for a historic sweep Sunday at the Maravich Center in-front of an ESPNU nationally-televised audience.
Sam Dabbs passed out a match-high 49 assists and ignited the Tigers (13-4, 7-1 SEC) to a .333 team hitting percentage as LSU snapped a 26-match losing streak to Florida (12-3, 6-2 SEC) dating back to the 1991 season.
The victory also gave the Tigers sole possession of second place in the SEC standings and marked the first time that the Gators have been swept in an SEC regular-season match since November 1990.
“We want to win every match we play,” head coach Fran Flory said. “This match has been a long time coming. We’ve been close [against Florida in the past] and never really believed before. This team decided this was going to be our year. We get Florida again at their place, and I know they are going to be ready for us. We’re just relieved to be able to say we finally did this.”
Marina Skender picked up her second consecutive double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs, while Cooper also tacked on four blocks. Sam Delahoussaye reeled in 12 digs, while Lauren Waclawczyk corralled 10 digs to anchor the back row.
The two teams split the first 10 points of the opening set before LSU reeled four straight points to grab a 9-5 lead highlighted by a pair of Williams kills. The Gators used a trio of blocks and fired back with 10 of the next 15 points to take a 15-14 edge. Cooper and Skender responded by putting the Tigers on their backs to rip nine kills down the streak, including back-to-back Cooper spikes for the 28-26 win. Dabbs finished the frame with 20 assists and five digs.
“We came out level-headed and knew that we couldn’t be overanxious because Florida is a top-five team,” Dabbs said. “We’ve been waiting for this. We kept our heads, and came out prepared. We executed everything we worked on all week. We’re proving to everyone that we should have won the Nebraska and Sanford matches in preconference and are getting our swagger back as a team.”
Down 7-6 in set two, LSU strung together a 10-3 run to turn the tables and go ahead 16-10. Williams and DeGirolamo fueled the spurt with two kills apiece. The Gators trimmed the deficit back to three points on three occasions, the latest at 22-19, before a DeGirolamo spike coupled with a pair of Florida service errors gave LSU a 25-20 victory. The Tigers connected for a .400 team hitting percentage and notched a 75 percent sideout efficiency in the frame.
Four Callie Rivers kills allowed Florida to jump out to a 10-7 advantage to start the third set. The Tigers dialed up the defensive pressure and forced the Gators into five hitting errors to surge ahead 16-12. Florida crept back to 22-21 behind three more Rivers spikes. After a LSU timeout, Cooper provided two critical sideouts and teamed up with Skender for a block to secure the 25-22 triumph.
“We were trying to win the match with one play [in the third set] instead of understanding there were 25 points to get in the set,” Flory said. “We did a great job of refocusing and our seniors took control. Marina and Sam just said, ‘Listen, calm down and keep it in perspective.’ They did a good job.”
LSU squares off against Arkansas Friday at 7 p.m. inside the Maravich Center. The Tigers will wear pink uniforms as part of their “Dig Pink” match to benefit the Sideout Foundation.
Live video and stats are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net and fans also can follow in-match updates of the defending four-time SEC Western champions via www.twitter.com/lsuvolleyball.
LSU vs. Florida
October 11, 2009
LSU HEAD COACH FRAN FLORY QUOTES
On beating Florida ...
“We want to win every match we play. This match has been a long time coming. We’ve been close [against Florida in the past] and never really believed before. This team decided this was going to be our year. We get Florida again at their place, and I know they are going to be ready for us. We’re just relieved to be able to say we finally did this.”
On Brittnee Cooper’s performance ...
“Cooper was flawless and the great thing is we didn’t over-use her. We decided we were going to use Cooper on the big swings. The great part is zero hitting errors. That’s pretty amazing.”
On Sam Dabb’s performance...
“Dabbs was really good. We worked hard during the last two weeks to get her to make good choices. She was outstanding and the key to the match tonight.”
On the key to coming back in set three ...
“We were trying to win the match with one play instead of understanding there were 25 points to get in the set. We did a great job of refocusing. Our seniors took control. Marina [Skender] and Sam [Dabbs] just said, ‘Listen, calm down and keep it in perspective.’ They did a good job.”
On LSU’s next matches against Arkansas and Ole Miss ...
“We have to make sure we don’t have a hangover from this match. It’s important that we bounce back and remember that it’s just one match out of 20 in the SEC season. No doubt that It’s a big one, but it’s one out of 20. We have to keep perspective.”
LSU PLAYER QUOTES
On the team effort ...
“I feel we all did great. If it wasn’t for my team helping me out, Lauren [Waclawczyk] and Marina [Skender] on the digs getting the ball to the center, I couldn’t have done anything with it.”
On beating Florida ...
“It was great. This is our first time beating Florida, and to beat them in three sets, amazing.”
On how she thinks LSU can continue with success ...
“We have to keep encouraging our teammates. I feel like that is what helps us excel. With encouragement, we can beat anyone.”
On LSU’s performance against Florida ...
“We came out level-headed. We couldn’t be overanxious. Florida is a top-five team. We have been waiting for this. We kept our heads, and we came out prepared. We executed everything we worked on all week. We’re proving to everyone that in the preseason the Nebraska and Sanford matches we should have won, we are getting our swagger back together as a team.”
On the upcoming matches against Arkansas and Ole Miss ...
“We can’t let up. Arkansas and Ole Miss are coming out to play. Every team is out to get us. Even though we aren’t highly ranked, we are working our way up the ladder. We have to keep level and calm even though we swept Florida.”
