Close, but no cigar.

An overused cliché, sure – but one that the Georgia volleyball team can relate to following Friday’s loss to the No. 20 LSU Tigers.

For just the second time all season and the first since October against Kentucky, the Bulldogs (14-10, 5-8 SEC) were able to notch a set victory against a ranked opponent after they won the third set against the Tigers (17-5, 11-2 SEC) by a score of 25-23.

After extending the match into a fourth set, the Bulldogs came close to forcing a decisive fifth set as they were locked up in a 22-22 tie before ultimately falling to LSU by an identical score of 25-23.

“The threat of our play in the third and fourth sets put the decision of this match in the balance, and we gave LSU a great battle tonight. Not every individual played their best tonight, but as a team, we played together and battled our tails off,” Georgia head coach Joel McCartney told Georgia Sports Communications.

Junior outside hitter Erika Clark led Georgia with 12 kills and also added 13 digs to record her ninth double-double of the season while junior middle hitter Valentina Gonzalez contributed with 11 kills of her own.

Despite the loss, McCartney remains positive about his team’s effort against a stout opponent and has a clear understanding of the lessons learned in defeat.

“I want to give credit to a very experienced and mature LSU team,” McCartney said. “LSU certainly deserves the top-20 ranking they have and these kinds of matches let us know more about how to get our program there.”