2023 LSU Beach Volleyball Record Book

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CREDITS

EDITOR: Grant Kauvar

DESIGN: LSU Creative Services

PHOTOGRAPHY: LSU Athletics Staff Photography

The 2023 LSU Beach Volleyball Record Book was produced by the LSU Communications and Creative Services office.

© COPYRIGHT LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

2021 ROSTER

2023 Numerical Roster

2023 Alphabetical Roster

Coaching Staff

Russell Brock – Head Coach (7th Season, 146-53)

Cati Leak – Assistant Coach

Blaire Hiler – Director of Ops

Alexis Conaway – Graduate Assistant/Assistant Director of Ops

Ken Faldetta – Athletic Trainer

Katie Guillory – Strength and Conditioning Coach

* Coach Brock served as the associate coach through the first three seasons of LSU Beach Volleyball before taking over as head coach prior to the 2017 season

LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium Facts

Story of the Sand

• Through intensive analysis with consultant Hutchenson Sand, LSU found a sand the meets and exceeds CCSA standards

• Coach Russell Brock presented Hutchenson Sand with certain sand mixes to his liking and after the analysis a sand pit that is within 45 miles of the LSU campus was found to be the perfect match for the specifications

• The sand on all six courts is state-of-the-art in permeability subsurface drainage, quality and smooth concrete to sand transition

• The 24-inch deep sand courts have an underground irrigation and wetting system that will facilitate competition play during hot portions of the season, cooling the sand for comfortable play

Setting the Standard

• A state-of-the-art facility and stadium that is unmatched anywhere in collegiate beach volleyball

• The LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium has raised the bar in emenities by providing eight covered team pavillions, a visitors locker room and shower facilities

• Energy efficient LED sand court lighting has been designed for TV level lighting

• The LSU competitive beach volleyball team of 23 will enjoy the benefits of a customized locker room, state-of-theart training room for the capability of immediate medical attention and a team lounge with smart TVs that can be used for film study and entertainment purposes

• The revitalization of the previous tennis facility, originally completed in 1970, has allowed for an economical advancement of this Title IX sport that will have a final seating capactiy of 450 with seating options in the grand stand and on the grass

• New scoreboards on both sides of the courts will allow for fans to easily keep track of all six courts no matter where they are seated while enjoying the energetic atmosphere of beach volleyball with a brand new sound system

The Best Atmosphere In College Beach Volleyball

On Februrary 29, 2020, 2,407 fans packed LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium to witness the No. 2 Tigers defeat the No. 1 UCLA Bruins in a top-two showdown, they set an all-time NCAA on-campus attendance record for college beach volleyball.

“I honestly couldn’t have ever dreamed of that,” said Coach Russell Brock. “The vision was – let’s build this thing, let’s build a good product and let’s fill it up. To have it packed out and have a match like that – I envisioned a lot of things with this program, but that was more than I could have possibly imagined.

“That’s an unbelievable home court advantage that does not exist, maybe anywhere else in the planet for beach volleyball – for sure for collegiate beach volleyball.”

The victory gave LSU two straight wins over No. 1 UCLA in as many weeks, propelling the Tigers to their first ever No. 1 ranking in the sport of beach volleyball after being a steady Top-10 team since 2017.

After going 13-0 during the inaugural year of LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium last season, the Tigers didn’t miss a

beat as they started their 2020 home schedule. They swept through the Tiger Beach Challenge over the weekend which include their victory over top-ranked UCLA.

It was standing room only on Saturday when the LSU faithful packed collegiate beach volleyball’s premier facility and stadium to witness a top-two showdown. The two-time defending national champion UCLA Bruins were ranked No. 1 and LSU was ranked No. 2. LSU and UCLA split a set of match to open the season two weekends ago in Hawaii, setting up a rubber-match in Baton Rouge.

Fans well versed in the sport of beach volleyball and fans that had never been to a match before packed in to create an electric atmosphere that helped the Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the Bruins, catapulting LSU to the top of the polls.

“When I look back and reflect on that evening, to have all of those people stacked and locked in and focused and cheering – a lot them for the first time experiencing what we do week in and week out – unbelievable,” said Brock. “It was such a fun environment,

such a fun atmosphere and one I will absolutely never forget.”

Saturday was also the largest media gathering to cover a home LSU Beach Volleyball match that included Baton Rouge’s three major news outlets.

“To look out on the court and look both directions and see packs of purple and gold, that was something special,” said senior Claire Coppola.

“And no standing room, I mean that is so cool and we feed off of that, so it was a perfect atmosphere for us,” added fellow senior Kristen Nuss, Coppola’s partner on pair one.

Coppola and Nuss have won 99 matches, competing in every collegiate match together, and will look to become just the third collegiate beach volleyball pair to reach the 100-win mark in the sport’s young history.

PROGRAM RECORDS

Madison Meyers (So.)

Kate Baker (Fr.)

Elizabeth Masters (Sr.)

Aubrey O’Gorman (So.)

Amber Haynes (Jr.)

Josie Vondran (Gr.)

Cassidy Chambers (So.)

Hannah Brister (Gr.)

Brooke Blutreich (Jr.)

Kelly McCloskey (Fr.)

Paige Flickinger (Jr.)

Current Roster Records

Brooke Blutreich (Jr.)

Amber Haynes (Jr.)

Madison Meyers (So.)

Cassidy Chambers (So.)

Hannah Brister (Gr.)

Paige Flickinger (Jr.)

Kate Baker (Fr.)

Aubrey O’Gorman (So.)

Josie Vondran (Gr.)

Kelly McCloskey (Fr.)

Current Roster Records

All-Time Records vs. Opponents

Opponent Series Record

Streak

Last Matchup

All-time Honors/Awards

•

•

Taryn

•

Parker

•

* There were no awards given following the 2020 season which was ended prematurely due to the Covid-19 Pandemic

AVCA Poll History

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss became the most dominant pair in the country in 2021, going a perfect 36-0; the second pair ever to accomplish that in college beach volleyball

*NA - 2019 was the first year there was a Week 10 Poll and in 2020 there were no polls released after the season ended prematurely due to the Covid-19 Pandemic

**- Parenthese signify the amount of first place voted LSU earned in a given week with 11 being the maximum amount

2022 NCAA Championship

The 2022 season was historic for the Tigers in the sand and statistically one of the best in program history. LSU set program records with 27 regular season wins as well as 32 wins overall.

The first year of the expnaded bracket proved to be exciting and LSU knocked off Cal in a win-or-go-home match to make it in the double-elimination bracket of eight teams.

After falling to UCLA in the first round of the double-elimination bracket, LSU had a matchup set against TCU who the Tigers had not beaten all season going into the NCAA Championships. May 6 proved to be LSU’s day as the Tigers knocked of No. 2 seed TCU, 3-2, to stay alive in Gulf Shores. It marked the second consectuive season that LSU had sent TCU home from the championships. LSU’s season came to an end the next day, falling to FSU.

Melia Lindner was named LSU’s first beach volleyball Elite 90 winner as the championshio participant with the highest GPA. Lindner majored and graduated in animal science with a 4.21 GPA and continued at LSU in the vet school.

LSU had success across all courts through the 2022 season as five pairs earned AVCA Top Flight status, tying the single season record. In order to be earn Top Flight recognition a pair must play together in 15 matches or more on the same court and also win at least 75-percent of those matches. Kylie Deberg and Kelli Greene-Agnew, who were Top Flight together on Court 2, became the first players to earn Top Flight honors with multiple partners in the same year.

LSU’s AVCA Top Flight Pairs

Kylie Deberg and Kelli Greene-Agnew – Top Flight Court 2

Parker Bracken and Kylie Deberg – Top Flight Court 2

Reilly Allred and Holly Carlton – Top Flight Court 3

Kelli Greene-Agnew and Grace Seits – Top Flight Court 4

Sierra Caffo and Ellie Shank – Top Flight Court 5

#6 LSU 3, #11 Cal 2

1. Tia Miric/Ella Connor (CAL) def. Parker Bracken/Bella Bauman (LSU) 21-18, 21-15

2. Piper Ferch/Jayelin Lombard (CAL) def. Kelli Greene-Agnew/Kylie Deberg (LSU) 21-18, 15-21, 15-13

3. Reilly Allred/Holly Carlton (LSU) def. Addison Hermstad/Peyton Dueck (CAL) 21-19, 21-18

4. Grace Seits/Ellie Shank (LSU) def. Mariah Whalen/Piper Naess (CAL) 21-12, 21-14

5. Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope/Sierra Caffo (LSU) def. Josie Ulrich/Vanessa Roscoe (CAL) 22-24, 21-17, 15-6

#3 UCLA 3, #6 LSU 0

1. Lexy Denaburg/Abby Van Winkle (UCLA) def. Parker Bracken/Bella Bauman (LSU) 21-13, 21-19

2. Kelli Greene-Agnew/Kylie Deberg (LSU) vs. Devon Newberry/Jaden Whitmarsh (UCLA) 19-25, 14-14, unfinished

3. Lea Monkhouse/Jessie Smith (UCLA) def. Reilly Allred/Holly Carlton (LSU) 25-23, 21-12

4. Grace Seits/Ellie Shank (LSU) vs. Rileigh Powers/Marlie Monseraz (UCLA) 19-21, 15-16, unfinished

5. Natalie Myszkowski/Sophie Moore (UCLA) def. Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope/Sierra Caffo (LSU) 21-17, 21-17

#6 LSU 3, #2 TCU 2

1. Daniela Alvarez/Tania Moreno (TCU) def. Parker Bracken/Bella Bauman (LSU) 21-13, 21-16

2. Kelli Greene-Agnew/Kylie Deberg (LSU) def. Kaylie Mchugh/Sutton Mactavish (TCU) 17-21, 21-15, 15-13

3. Reilly Allred/Holly Carlton (LSU) def. Hailey Brockett/Alexis Filippone (TCU) 21-14, 14-21, 15-10

4. Maria Gonzalez/Ana Vergara (TCU) def. Grace Seits/Ellie Shank (LSU) 21-15, 17-21, 15-11

5. Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope/Sierra Caffo (LSU) def. Megan Muret/Rochelle Scott (TCU) 14-21, 21-16, 18-16

#5 FSU 3, #6 LSU 1

1. Maddie Anderson/Brook Bauer (FSU) def. Parker Bracken/Bella Bauman (LSU) 21-17, 21-10

2. Alaina Chacon/Madison Fitzpatrick (FSU) def. Kelli Greene-Agnew/Kylie Deberg (LSU) 27-25, 15-21, 15-9

3. Reilly Allred/Holly Carlton (LSU) def. Anna Long/Kate Privett (FSU) 17-21, 24-22, 15-10

4. Morgan Chacon/Jordan Polo (FSU) def. Grace Seits/Ellie Shank (LSU) 21-16, 21-12

5. Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope/Sierra Caffo (LSU) vs. Cailtin Moon/Raelyn White (FSU) 21-16, 24-26, 10-14, unfinished

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss

The Winningest College Beach Player

Kristen Nuss finished with 139 career victories to become the winningest player in the hisory of college beach volleyball. A lightning quick defender who got to nearly every ball, Nuss raised the level of those around her. Competing on Court 1 from her freshman year on, she earned all of her wins against the best players from opposing teams.

Indoor To Beach Success

Taryn Kloth won her final 50 matches at LSU. After not making the lineup in the 2019 NCAA Championship, Kloth went undefeated to finish her college career. The South Dakota native came to LSU after a succesful indoor career at Creighton where she was an All-American. With her perfect final season at LSU, Kloth became the first player ever to earn both indoor and beach AVCA All-America honors.

A Historically Great Pair

Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth became the most dominant pair in the country throughout the 2021 season, becoming the second college duo of all-time to go 36-0. Kloth and Nuss rolled through opponents, defeating all-americans and Olympians throughout the course of the season. There was not an opposing pair that could stop the force of Kloth and Nuss as they become the first LSU pair to win National Pair of the Year honors.

Geauxing Pro

Kloth and Nuss announced after the season that they would pursue a professional beach volleyball career as a pair. After winning their first three AVPNext events, Kloth and Nuss entered their first top tier tournament at 2021 AVP Atlanta. In their first start on the AVP Gold Series, Kloth and Nuss came away as champions.

2021 NCAA Championship

Kristen Nuss/Taryn Kloth

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss became the most dominant pair in the country, going 36-0 and winning National Pair of the Year honors.

Kelli Greene-Agnew/Claire Coppola

Kelli Greene-Agnew and Claire Coppola played on Court 2 for LSU and picked up their biggest win of the season at No. 4 UCLA on April 3. Coppola finished her career with 121 wins, the third most in college beach volleyball history

Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope/Toni Rodriguez

For the third season in a row Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope and Toni Rodriguez competed together in the sand. They put together a great 2021 season with a 23-6 record. As a pair they had an all-time record of 44-12 to become LSU’s second winningest pair ever.

Sydney Moore/Jess Lansman

Two girls from the midwest teamed up on Court 4 for the Tigers to go 17-9 as a duo.

Sydney Moore and Jess Lansman helped LSU advance to the NCAA semi-finals with a critical win against FSU, LSU first win over the Seminoles after losing the first four matchups of the season

Kahlee York/Olivia Ordonez

Kahlee York and Olivia Ordonez were LSU’s only pair of two seniors. Ordonez finished her career as LSU’s eighth winningest player in program history and York settled into a consistent spot in the lineup for the first time of her career. The LSU duo went 20-8 on Court 5 for the Tigers.

#5 LMU 3, #4 LSU 2

1. Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Iya Lindahl/Megan Rice (LMU) 21-18, 22-20

2. Reka Orsi Toth/Selina Marolf (LMU) def. Claire Coppola/Kelli Greene-Agnew (LSU) 21-15, 21-12

3. Jessie Prichard/Savannah Slattery (LMU) def. Toni Rodriguez/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) 21-14, 22-20

4. Jacinda Ramirez/Darby Dunn (LMU) def. Sydney Moore/Jess Lansman (LSU) 21-17, 21-17

5. Kahlee York/Olivia Ordonez (LSU) def. Emma Doud/Madi Firnett (LMU) 21-18, 21-17

#5 LSU 3, #8 TCU 1

1. Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Daniela Alvarez/Tania Moreno Mateeva (TCU) 21-17, 21-19

2. Olivia Blackburn/Hailey Brockett (TCU) def. Kelli Greene-Agnew/Claire Coppola (LSU) 21-18, 21-14

3. Toni Rodriguez/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) def. Rochelle Scott/Maria Gonzalez (TCU) 21-12, 21-17

4. Jess Lansman/Sydney Moore (LSU) def. Megan Jacobsen/Trinity Cavanaugh (TCU) 21-14, 21-16

5. Kahlee York/Olivia Ordonez (LSU) vs. Caroline White/Josie Miller (TCU) 21-9, 19-11, unfinished

#4 LSU 3, #3 FSU 1

1. Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Alaina Chacon/Maddie Anderson (FS) 13-21, 21-14, 15-13

2. Torrey Van Winden/Keara Rutz (FS) def. Claire Coppola/Kelli Greene-Agnew (LSU) 21-18, 21-15

3. Payton Caffrey/Molly McBain (FS) vs. Toni Rodriguez/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) 15-21, 21-19, 6-11, unfinished

4. Jess Lansman/Sydney Moore (LSU) def. Sara Putt/Raelyn White (FS) 21-16, 21-19

5. Olivia Ordonez/Kahlee York (LSU) def. Jenna Johnson/Liz Waters-Leiga (FS) 22-20, 21-14

#1 UCLA 3, #4 LSU Tigers 2

1. Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Savvy Simo/Lexy Denaburg (UCLA) 23-21, 23-21

2. Lea Monkhouse/Devon Newberry (UCLA) def. Claire Coppola/Kelli Greene-Agnew (LSU) 21-19, 21-13

3. Lindsey Sparks/Abby Van Winkle (UCLA) def. Toni Rodriguez/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) 23-21, 21-18

4. Jess Lansman/Sydney Moore (LSU) def. Jacqueline Quade/Megan Muret (UCLA) 21-15, 21-17

5. Rileigh Powers/Jaden Whitmarsh (UCLA) def. Olivia Ordonez/Kahlee York (LSU) 15-21, 21-19, 15-13

Unprecedented 2020

The 2020 season was LSU Beach Volleyball’s seventh season - the year that head coach Russell Brock had always had his eye on as the season LSU would have a chance to compete for a National Championship. As a program, LSU always had great internal expectations, but heading into 2020, given the senior-heavy roster and success over previous seasons, the external expectations were equally as great. Adopting the team motto “Whatever It Takes,” the team was not shying away from any expectations and had the pieces in place to make a significant run.

As a steady Top-10 team for the prior three seasons, LSU earned its highest preseason ranking ever prior to the 2020 season, earning the No. 2 spot in the DiG Magazine Poll and the No. 3 ranking in the AVCA. The Tigers were going to be tested right off the bat with multiple Top-5 matchups and a trip over the Pacific Ocean for the first weekend of action.

LSU departed Baton Rouge for Hawaii to begin their season on Queen’s Beach with matchups set up against No. 1 UCLA, No. 5 Hawaii and No. 19 Stanford at the Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic. In the first day of the tournament, LSU started with a sweep over Stanford, but went on the drop matches against UCLA and Hawaii. On Sunday the Tigers came back with a vengeance, taking down Hawaii first and then defeating UCLA in the championship match for the program’s first ever win over the Bruins.

Returning to Baton Rouge with some hardware, LSU immediately got back to work. LSU rose to No. 2 in the AVCA poll and had No. 1 UCLA coming to town for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 bout in the bayou.

Saturday night in LSU Beach Volleyball stadium saw a College Beach Volleyball record crowd of 2,407 fans witness the top-two matchup. For the second week in a row LSU defeated UCLA and when the new poll came out Monday, the Tigers were the top-ranked team in the nation for the first time in program history.

Travelling to TCU the following, Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss had the opportunity to become the third pair in college beach volleyball history to win 100 matches together. They reached that mark in the first match of the weekend against Arizona and the Tigers swept through all four matches in Fort Worth, improving to 12-2 and remaining a No. 1 for the second straight week. Kellie Agnew and Taryn Kloth were 13-0 together throughout the season and were the only pair in the nation to win every set that they played in.

The Tigers were ranked No. 1 and in preperation for the LSU Beach Invitational when the nation essentially shutdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Tigers did not have to opportunity to finish what they started. The NCAA granted every Spring student-athlete an extra year of eligibility becuase of the season ending prematurely.

2019 NCAA Championship

The Tigers took the program to new heights in 2019, recording many ‘firsts’ throughout the season. Before the campaign began, LSU opened the premeire facility in Collegiate Beach Volleyball, LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium.

The Tigers would go onto finish with a perfect home record, 13-0 in the first season in their new stadium. The Tigers earned their highest ranking of all time after going 4-0 in the first week of the season, No. 4, and held onto the ranking for the majority of the season. LSU’s 25 regular season victories were the most in program history.

LSU finished as the runner-up at the CCSA Tournament, falling to Florida State in the championship match for the second straight year. LSU earned the No. 5 seed heading into the NCAA Championship and was set to play No. 4 Pepperdine.

LSU swept the first set on all five courts and ultimately clinched the match on Courts 1, 4 and 5. It was the first time in prgram history that LSU won its opening match at the NCAA Championship. No. 8 Stetson became the first team ever to defeat the top seed as it handed USC an opening round loss, setting up a Tigers vs. Hatters matchup in Round 2.

With the matchup tied at two courts a piece, the attention shifted to Court 5 where Allison Coens and Hunter Domanski were in a third set. The set was all evened out at 13 when the LSU duo earned back-to-back points, sending the Tigers to the NCAA Semifinals for the first time in program history. It was Coens and Domanski’s ninth third set win of the season.

The following day, LSU would fall to UCLA, 3-0, but with the championship’s double elimination format, the Tigers still had one more chance to advance to championship. After dropping the first set on Courts 4 and 5, LSU came storming back to take both courts to give the Tigers and early 2-0 edge, but USC came back on Courts 1, 2 and 3 to advance to the NCAA Championship Match where it fell to UCLA.

LSU finished with a program-best 31 victories and after being ranked No. 4 for most of the season finished as the No. 3 team in the land, heading into the offseason with the highest ranking in program history.

Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss earned their second consectuive AVCA All-America honor and went on to win the USAV Collegiate Beach Championship for the second straight season.

#5 LSU Tigers 3, #4 Pepperdine 0

1. Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Brook Bauer/Heidi Dyer (PEP) 21-19, 21-18

4. Maddie Ligon/Olivia Beyer (LSU) def. Maddie Dilfer/Nikki Lyons (PEP) 27-25, 21-19

5. Allison Coens/Hunter Domanski (LSU) def. Katie Gavin/Simone Priebe (PEP) 21-18, 21-17

#5 LSU 3, #8 Stetson 2

1. Kristen Nuss/Claire Coppola (LSU) def. S. Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET) 21-14, 21-16

2. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (STET) def. Kelli Agnew/Olivia Powers (LSU) 21-16, 21-18

3. Ana Costa/Rachel Noble (STET) def. Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope/Toni Rodriguez (LSU) 21-17, 20-22, 17-15

4. Maddie Ligon/Olivia Beyer (LSU) def. Samantha Harris/Julie Varga (STET) 21-8, 21-19

5. Allison Coens/Hunter Domanski (LSU) def. Quinci Birker/Rebecca Ingram (STET) 22-20, 18-21, 15-13

#2 UCLA 3, #5 LSU Tigers 0

2. Lily Justine/Sarah Sponcil (UCLA) def. Kelli Agnew/Olivia Powers (LSU) 21-9, 21-17

3. Zana Muno/Abby Van Winkle (UCLA) def. Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope/Toni Rodriguez (LSU) 21-15, 21-12

5. Hannah Phair/Lindsey Sparks (UCLA) def. Allison Coens/Hunter Domanski (LSU) 21-8, 21-18

#1 USC 3, #5 LSU Tigers 2

1. Tina Graudina/Abril Bustamante (USC) def. Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss (LSU) 21-18, 21-18

2. Sammy Slater/Terese Cannon (USC) def. Olivia Powers/Kelli Agnew (LSU) 21-13, 21-12

3. Haley Hallgren/Alexandra Poletta (USC) def. Toni Rodriguez/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) 21-13, 21-14

4. Olivia Beyer/Maddie Ligon (LSU) def. Maja Kaiser/Joy Dennis (USC) 19-21, 21-17, 15-13

5. Hunter Domanski/Kahlee York (LSU) def. Mollie Ebertin/Cammie Dorn (USC) 17-21, 21-13, 15-9

2018 NCAA Championship

For the second consecutive season, the LSU Tigers made it to the NCAA Championship at Gulf Shores, Alabama and became the first team from the east region to earn an at-large bid.

After setting new standards for the program in 2017, the Tigers came back in 2018 hungry for more success and the opportunity to play for it all once again. The Tigers entered the season as the sixth ranked team in the country.

Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss did not suffer a sophomore slump after an impressive freshman campaign in 2017. The duo would go 31-8 throughout their second season together on the top court and would go onto to be named CCSA Pair of the Year and were mentioned on multiple All-America squads.

On March 10, the Tigers defeated the USC Trojans by a score of 4-1 at the East vs. West Challenge on Manhattan Beach, becoming just the sixth program to ever notch at lease one victory over the Women of Troy. That was the only win the Tigers would gather that weekend in California though. The Tigers preceded to go 1-3 the following weekend as well at South Carolina’s Gamecock Grand Slam.

The next weekend was LSU’s first home event and the Tigers reeled off 14 wins in a row to finish the regualr season on a 15-1 run heading into postseason play

The Tigers would make a run at the CCSA Championship, going 4-1 to earn a spot in the championship. Florida State, the only team that had beaten LSU in over a month, was standing in their way. The Seminoles ended the Tigers’ win streak weeks earlier and then became the only team to defeat them in the early rounds of the CCSA Tournament. LSU would not be able to avenge the past two losses though as it finished at the CCSA Tournament as the runner-up.

On selection sunday, the Tigers became the first team from the east region to earn an at large bid to the NCAA Championship, a major accomplishment for a sport dominated by the west coast in its first few years as an NCAA sport.

Entering as the No. 7 seed out of 8, the Tigers fell to No. 2 Pepperdine, 3-0, LSU defeated CCSA foe South Carolina, 3-1, to stay alive. The next day, LSU was eliminated via a 3-0 sweep by the future national champion UCLA.

The pairs of Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss, Megan Davenport/Emmy Allen and Riley Young/Maddie Ligon earned the AVCA Top Flight Award and Hunter Domanski finished on the CCSA All-Freshman Team.

The Tigers finished the year at No. 6 in the polls for the second consecutive year.

#2 Pepperdine def. #7 LSU, 3-0

2. Madalyn Roh/Brook Bauer (PEPP) def. Haleigh Nelson/Mandi Orellana (LSU) 21-12, 21-16

3. Gigi Hernandez/Heidi Dyer (PEPP) def. Olivia Powers/Hunter Domanski (LSU) 25-23, 24-22

4. Skylar Caputo/Alexis Filippone (PEPP) def. Megan Davenport/Emmy Allen (LSU) 21-15, 21-13

#7 LSU def. #6 South Carolina, 3-1

1. Kristen Nuss/Claire Coppola (LSU) def. Cadie Bates/Katie Smith (SC) 21-14, 21-18

2. Shannon Williams/Ali Denney (SC) def. Haleigh Nelson/Mandi Orellana (LSU) 21-19, 21-18

3. Olivia Powers/Hunter Domanski (LSU) def. Julia Mannisto/Carly Schnieder (SC) 17-21, 21-18, 15-9

5. Riley Young/Maddie Ligon (LSU) def. Lydia Dimke/Franky Harrison (SC) 27-25, 21-15

#3 UCLA def. #7 LSU, 3-0

1. Nicole McNamara/Megan McNamara (UCLA) def. Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss (LSU) 21-10, 21-17

2. Lily Justine/Sarah Sponcil (UCLA) def. Haleigh Nelson/Mandi Orellana (LSU) 21-10, 21-8

3. Savvy Simo/Zana Muno (UCLA) def. Olivia Powers/Hunter Domanski (LSU) 21-13, 21-15

2017 NCAA Championship

The 2017 season was one for the record books as the LSU beach volleyball team put together it’s best season in the four-year history of the program, setting the standard for the future and earning a place in the national spotlight.

After improving its win total each of the previous three years, LSU entered the season ranked for the first time in the preseason, coming in at No. 10 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association beach poll and No. 9 in the DiG Magazine rankings. Senior Katie Lindelow and junior Mandi Orellana were also voted to the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Preseason All-Conference teams.

Despite dropping five of their first seven matches to open the season, the Tigers bounced back in a huge way, rattling off 23-straight wins to mark the third longest streak in LSU athletics history. During that span, LSU picked up eight wins over ranked opponents, including five victories against top-10 competition.

The Tigers advanced to the semifinals of the CCSA Conference Championships, falling to Florida International to snap their winning streak.

LSU was seeded seventh by the selection committee at the NCAA Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama, marking the program’s first-ever berth in the tournament. The Tigers finished the championships with a 1-2 record, picking up the school’s first-ever victory against No. 6 seed Long Beach State by a score of 3-2. With the win, LSU joined Florida State as one of just two teams from the East region to win a match at NCAA’s.

The Tigers concluded the season achieving their highest ranking in the polls, coming in at No. 6 in the standings of both the AVCA and DiG Magazine rankings. LSU also maintained a perfect record on it’s home turf and claimed four of its five away matches.

Head coach Russell Brock was named the CCSA Coach of the Year and the VolleyballMag.com Coach of the Year after helping to propel the Tigers to new heights, guiding them to the best record in program history and the school’s first appearance at NCAA’s.

In just their first collegiate season, Coppola and Nuss were also voted to the second team VBM All-American squad for their efforts to wrap up the historic year for the program.

#2 UCLA def. #7 LSU, 3-0

1.(UCLA) Nicole McNamara and Megan McNamara def. (LSU) Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss (18-21, 21-11, 15-10)

2. (UCLA)Kamila Tan and Madi Yeomans def. (LSU) Emmy Allen and Maddie Ligon (21-19, 17-21, 15-10)

3. (UCLA) Lily Justine and Savvy Simo def. (LSU) Megan Davenport and Riley Young (21-18, 21-16)

#7 LSU def. #6 LBSU, 3-2

1. (LSU) Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss def. (LBSU) Nele Barber/Rachel Nieto (21-17, 18-21, 16-14)

2. (LBSU) Anete Brinke/Hailey Harward def. (LSU) Emmy Allen/Maddie Ligon (21-15, 21-18)

3. (LSU) Katie Lindelow/Olivia Powers def. (LBSU) Sasha Karelov/Kobi Pekich (14-21, 21-19, 17-15)

4. (LBSU) Morea Wagner/Heather Weiss def. (LSU) Cati Leak/Callan Molle (21-10, 17-21, 15-13)

5. (LSU) Megan Davenport/Riley Young def. (LBSU) Jenelle Hudson/Megan Kruidhof (21-18, 21-18)

#5 Hawaii def. #7 LSU, 3-0

2. Ka’iwi Schucht/Nikki Taylor (UH) def. Emmy Allen/Maddie Ligon (LSU) | 21-15, 21-13 | HAWAII WIN

3. Emily Maglio/Laurel Weaver (UH) def. Olivia Powers/Katie Lindelow (LSU) | 21-16, 21-12 | HAWAII WIN

4. Ari Homayun/Carly Kan (UH) def. Cati Leak/Callan Molle (LSU) | 21-12, 21-13 | HAWAII WIN

2022 Season (32-12)

Location Result

PLAYER RECORD

2021 Season (27-9)

Location Result

INDIVIDUAL 2021 PAIRS

2020 SEASON (12-2)

PLAYER RECORD

2020 PAIRS

TEAM (PLAYER NAMES) RECORD

2019 PAIRS

Maddie Ligon

2018 SEASON (27-14)

2018 PAIRS

Hunter Domanski

2017 SEASON (27-8)

2017 PAIRS

CLAIRE COPPOLA

TEAM (PLAYER NAMES) RECORD

2016 SEASON (20-9)

2016 PAIRS

TEAM (PLAYER NAMES) RECORD

MANDI ORELLANA

2015 SEASON (14-9)

EMMA HILLER

2015 INDIVIDUAL 2015 PAIRS

TEAM (PLAYER NAMES) RECORD

LILLY KESSLER

CATI LEAK

2014 INDIVIDUAL 2014 PAIRS

PLAYER RECORD

KATIE LINDELOW