Nov. 14, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn volleyball team came back from being down two sets to force Ole Miss to a fifth set, but the Rebels outlasted the Tigers to take the 3-2 (25-17, 25-17, 13-25, 18-25, 15-13) win Sunday at the Student Activities Center. The loss dropped Auburn to 17-12 overall and 8-9 in the SEC.
Today marked the final home match of the season for Auburn. The Tigers honored seniors Liz Crouch, Alyssa Davis, Morgan Johns, Lauren Mellor and Jonelle Wallace prior to the start.
"It is tough to lose in five sets and on senior day," head coach Wade Benson said. "I'm proud with how the team came back from being down two sets. We just didn't have enough fight left in us at the end."
Johns led all attackers as she finished with career-best 17 kills and a .389 attack percentage. Sophomore Sarah Bullock tallied her ninth double-double of the season, finishing with 16 kills and 10 digs. Junior setter Christina Solverson recorded her second double- double of the year, having 29 assists and 12 digs.
Crouch recorded a season-best and match-best 27 digs to lead the Tiger defense. Freshman Chelsea Wintzinger added 19 assists and eight digs, while Mellor and Bullock each had three blocks. Junior Kelly Fidero contributed with seven kills, while freshman Camila Jersonsky had six.
Ole Miss (19-8, 13-5 SEC) was led by Miranda Kitts with 14 kills on the day. Setter Amanda Philpot finished with 40 assists and 10 kills, while Whitney Craven had 12 kills and Morgan Springer tallied 24 digs.
A pair of kills by Johns put the Tigers up 2-1 early in the first set and a kill from Jersonsky locked the set at three apiece. The Rebels put together a 6-1 run to take a 9-4 advantage and pushed ahead to go up 13-7. Back-to-back kills from Johns and a service ace by Vesela Zapryanova highlighted a five-point Auburn rally to come within a point at 13-12. However, Ole Miss utilized another big run to pull ahead and take the 25-17 win.
The second set started with a 6-2 Auburn run that included a trio of kills by Davis. The Rebels battled back to tie the set at 9-9, but a kill from Kathia Rud kept the Tigers ahead at 10-9. Down two at 13-11, Ole Miss used an 11-1 rally to take a 22-14 advantage and went on to win, 25-17.
A kill by Fidero opened the third set and a service ace from Crouch triggered an 11-2 Auburn run to give the Tigers a 13-4 lead. The Rebels used a major run of their own to cut the Auburn lead to two points at 14-12. The Tigers, however, were too much as they closed out the set on an 11-1 run to win 25-13.
In the fourth set, Auburn capitalized on a pair of Ole Miss attacking errors to take a 6-3 advantage. A kill by Fidero and a service ace from Mellor pushed Auburn to a 9-4 lead, while a kill by Johns put Tigers ahead six at 11-5. Auburn held on to its lead to the end as the Tigers forced a fifth and final set with a 25-18 set four victory.
The Rebels took a quick 5-1 lead in the final set, but kills by Johns, Rud and Mellor cut the Ole Miss lead to two at 6-4. At 11-6 Ole Miss, the Tigers battled back with a 5-1 rally to come within a point at 13-12. The Rebels, however, held on the take the match with a 15-13 win.
The Tigers hit the road for a pair of key SEC West matches as the team travels to Alabama and Mississippi State next weekend. Auburn faces its in-state rival Alabama on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in Tuscaloosa and follows with a 1:30 p.m. match against the Bulldogs on Nov. 21 in Starkville.