Sept. 24, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn volleyball team battled 24th-ranked Kentucky to five sets Friday night and captured the 3-2 (25-27, 25-16, 20-25, 25-17, 15-12) victory at the Student Activities Center in front of 864 people. The win marks the first time in Auburn history that the Tigers defeated a ranked opponent and the first time since 2006 that Auburn has topped Kentucky.
The win gives Auburn a 11-4 overall record and the Tigers are now 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Kentucky falls to 7-6 overall and 1-2 in the conference.
"This is a program-building win for us," head coach Wade Benson said. "It is a step in the right direction and gives us great confidence. The crowd was excellent and we look forward to everyone showing up again on Sunday."
A pair of Tigers recorded double-doubles on the night in sophomores Katherine Culwell and Sarah Bullock. Culwell finished with 12 kills and 11 digs, while Bullock had 11 kills and 12 digs on the night. Senior Morgan Johns finished with 11 kills and freshman Camila Jersonsky tallied 11 kills and two blocks for Auburn.
Senior libero Liz Crouch had 13 digs, while junior setter Christina Solverson finished the evening with a team-best 27 assists. Bullock and senior Alyssa Davis each had four blocks on the night.
Kentucky had four players finish in double-digit kills as Whitney Billings and Lauren Rapp had 13 kills apiece. Blaire Hiler finished with 11 kills, while Ann Armes had 10 kills. Setter Elizabeth Koberstein tallied a match-high 48 assists and libero Stephanie Klefot finished with 17 digs.
The two squads opened set one evenly, battling for points through the early parts of the set. With the set tied at 11, a pair of kills by Johns and a service ace by Jersonsky led to a four-point run for Auburn that gave the Tigers a 15-11 advantage. The Wildcats, however, put together an 8-1 rally to take the 18-16 lead. Auburn battled to hold set point at 25-24, but a three-point turnaround gave Kentucky the 27-25 first-set win.
In set two, the teams once again opened in a tight battle as they exchanged points and the lead. Tied at 10 apiece, a 4-1 rally by Auburn pushed the Tigers to a 14-11 lead. A kill by Culwell gave Auburn the 16-14 advantage and a 9-2 final run by the Tigers gave Auburn the 25-16 win.
Auburn took a quick 8-4 lead in the third set, highlighted by kills from Johns and Davis. The Wildcats came within two at 9-7 and then took their first lead of the match at 12-11. Kentucky capitalized on a 10-3 run late to take the set, 25-20.
With the fourth set tied at five apiece, the Tigers utilized a three-point rally to go up 8-5 early. The Wildcats fought back and locked the score at 10 apiece, but a kill by Johns triggered 7-1 Auburn rally to give the Tigers a 17-11 lead. A final Auburn run solidified the 25-17 win to extend the match to the fifth and final set.
The Wildcats kicked off the final set on a 5-2 run, but Auburn capitalized on four Kentucky errors and a kill from Bullock to go up 7-5. The Wildcats tied the set at eight, but a pair of kills by Bullock and two from Jersonsky ignited another Auburn run to give the Tigers match point at 14-12. A kill from Bullock put an end to the match, giving Auburn a 15-12 win.
Auburn continues its weekend homestand as the Tigers welcome No. 20 Tennessee to the Student Activities Center Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.