Oct. 3, 2008
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Despite two late comebacks, the Auburn volleyball team (5-11, 0-5 SEC) was not able to hold off Tennessee (9-6, 4-2 SEC) in a 3-0 (15-25, 23-25, 26-28) loss in Knoxville, Tenn.
"Unforced errors were a big problem for us tonight, especially in the first set," said head coach Wade Benson. "We got our swing back and were able to pick up their beat for a chance to win a couple."
Jessica Glover and Olympia Haney led the team with 10 kills each while Jonelle Wallace added six. Glover also led the team by hitting .308, her third match in a row over .300.
Defensively, Alyssa Davis led the team with three blocks while Glover led in digs with 12. Playing libero for the first time this season, Milena Bukinac finished one behind Glover with 11 digs.
"Olympia Haney had a big match for us tonight and Kelly Brugger gave us some quality minutes off the bench, giving us a good alternate option," said Benson. "We were playing without our libero again tonight and still fighting for consistency with our young team. We had some chances for wins, but consistency comes with time and in time we will see a change."
Tennessee rolled out to a convincing 25-15 win in the first set and was able to hold off the streaking Tigers in the second set for a 25-23 win and a 2-0 lead.
The teams stayed tight in the third set with neither team leading by more than four points. Down by two late, Auburn came back to tie the match at 23-23 and the teams traded the lead until Tennessee was able to pull away for a 28-26 win.
Farren Powe led Tennessee with 15 kills, hitting a blazing .625. Defensively, Carol Cheade picked up four blocks while libero Chloe Goldman added 13 digs.
Auburn returns to action Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. CT match at Kentucky (14-2, 5-0 SEC). The match will air live in Lexington, Ky., on WKYT and will run on tape delay at 2 p.m. CT on Fox Sports South. GameTracker will also be available for the match by visiting AuburnTigers.com or UKAthletics.com.
Auburn fell behind quick in the first set as Tennessee scored the first three points, extending it to what turned into a 10-point lead and a 25-15 win in the opening set. Olympia Haney led the Tigers in the set with three kills while Alyssa Davis added three blocks.
Auburn bounced back in the second set, doubling its offense with 12 kills, as compared to the six in the first set, but still came in short in a 23-25 thriller. The teams traded the lead early in the set until a 6-0 Tennessee run gave the Lady Vols a 12-7 lead.
Tennessee would eventually lead by as many as six at the 19-13 mark, but Auburn came back and cut the lead to two before running out of time. Jessica Glover led the Tigers with five kills in the set, followed by four from Haney. Glover also led the team with five digs in the set.
The teams stayed neck-and-neck throughout the third set with 10 ties and four lead changes. Auburn trailed 23-21 late in the set, but a kill by Haney and a block from Glover tied it at 23-23, eventually sending the set into extra points. UT would hold on, though, for a 28-26 set and match win.
Glover led Auburn in the set with four kills, three digs and a block while Haney and Wallace added three kills each.