The No. 13 LSU Beach Volleyball team won both of its matches on April 17 at the Gulf Front Invitational in Clearwater Beach, Florida, defeating Mercer and the University of South Florida.
The victories mark a strong start for LSU as they continue their weekend competition and prepare for upcoming tournaments. The team’s performance is significant as it demonstrates their momentum heading into the remainder of the season.
LSU began the day with a commanding 5-0 win over Mercer. Tatum Finlason and Sylar Martin secured an early victory on Court 2 with set scores of 21-13 and 21-16. Zayna Meyer and Ryan Lambert followed on Court 4, winning their sets 21-11 and 21-12. Kate Baker and Emily Hellmuth clinched the dual on Court 5 with scores of 21-4 and 21-12. Additional wins came from Aubrey O’Gorman and Molly LaBreche on Court 3 (21-14, 21-11), while Julia Sprecher and Kenzey McGatlin completed the sweep on Court 1 (21-9, 21-8).
After a break, LSU continued its success against USF with another sweep. Finlason and Martin opened again with a win on Court 2 (21-16, 21-5). O’Gorman and LaBreche added to the scoreline by winning on Court 3 (21-9, 21-16), while Baker and Hellmuth prevailed again on Court 5 (21-19, 21-16). A medical forfeit by USF gave LSU another point on Court 1 before Bella Lagemann and Meyer closed out the match in three sets on Court 4 (21–15, 19–21, 17–15).
The Sandy Tigers are scheduled to play two more matches Saturday against FGCU at 8:00 AM CT followed by No. 5 Florida State at 11:45 AM CT. Next week they will travel to Huntington Beach, California for the MPSF Conference Championship.
The results reflect a promising trajectory for LSU’s beach volleyball program as they advance through key fixtures this season.
