By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
LSU claimed its first top 25 victory since 2022 by outlasting No. 23 Florida, 3-2 – 16-25, 25-22, 25-14, 22-25, 15-4 – on Sunday afternoon at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
After dropping the opening set, LSU (9-6, 2-2 SEC) responded with a 22-9 run that spanned the second and third frames. Florida (7-6, 2-2 SEC) forced a decisive fifth set with a tight win in the fourth, but LSU left no doubt in the final frame, scoring the first nine points and closing out the set, 15-4, to seal the victory. It was LSU’s first win over Florida since 2021. Its last top 25 win was, 3-2, over Kentucky in 2022.
LSU’s offense clicked with a season-high 66 kills on 63 assists, hitting .250 for the match. Defensively, the Tigers recorded nine blocks and 63 digs while holding the Gators to a .201 attack percentage on 53 kills.
Junior outside hitter Jurnee Robinson turned in another historic performance, following up last Friday’s career night against No. 20 Tennessee.
Robinson posted a career-high 34 kills on a .307 hitting percentage, set another career-best with seven blocks (two solo) and added 12 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Her 38.5 total points marked one of the most dominant individual efforts in program history.
Recording 30 kills at the collegiate level is extremely rare, and Robinson has done it in back-to-back games (34 vs Florida and 33 vs Tennessee).
Senior outside hitter Nia Washington secured her fourth double-double of the year with 14 kills and 16 digs, while adding one ace.
In LSU’s balanced two-setter system, junior Lauren Brooker tallied 33 assists along with three kills and one block, while freshman Takyla Brown handed out 19 assists. Redshirt junior Tireh Smith provided a key spark on the right side with seven kills, and sophomore defensive specialist Aly Kirkhoff anchored the back row with 11 digs.
UP NEXT
LSU will take on Alabama at 5 p.m. Friday at Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa.
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