Sept. 4, 2009
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn volleyball team saw its first loss of the season Friday evening, falling to No. 13 Minnesota, 3-0 (11-25, 17-25, 6-25) at the Diet Coke Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. The Tigers drop to 4-1 on the season, while the Gophers improve to 4-1.
"It can be a good growing experience for a young team like ours to play against a Top 25 team," Wade Benson, head volleyball coach, said. "Now they see what kind of a team we want to become and we clearly know where we need to get better."
Junior Morgan Johns led the Tiger attackers with six kills, while freshman Sarah Bullock had five. Junior Liz Crouch finished with 14 digs on the evening.
Brook Dieter tallied 12 kills for Minnesota, while Christine Tan had 14 digs.
Minnesota jumped out to an early lead, going up by as much as five in set one. The Tigers fought back, coming within two with the help of a pair of kills by freshman Katherine Culwell. The Gophers, however, put together a 6-1 run and pulled away for the 25-11 win.
The beginning of the second set was a battle between the two squads, keeping the score close. Minnesota went on a 5-2 run at the 7-6 mark, but a kill from Morgan Johns triggered 3-0 run for the Tigers to make it 12-7. The Gophers put together another big run towards the end and went on to win set two 25-17.
In set three, a Culwell kill put a stop to a Gopher 5-0 run, but Minnesota would go on another run to go up 9-2. The Gophers continued on to win the set, 25-6.
Auburn faces Iowa State at 1 p.m. on day two of the Diet Coke Classic. The Tigers conclude the tournament with a 5:30 p.m. match up with George Washington.