Sept. 27, 2013
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AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn's volleyball team dropped its second-straight match to a nationally-ranked foe Friday night, falling to No. 18 Kentucky 3-0 (19-25, 20-25, 20-25) before 861 fans at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers (9-4, 0-1 SEC) hit for a season-low percentage of .102 and struggled against a strong attack and strong defensive effort from the Wildcats (9-3, 1-0 SEC).
"It's disappointing, because that's probably the first time this year that we've really come out and not shown up in any phase of the game," Auburn head coach Rick Nold said. "There are always times when something's going to be off, but we've competed hard and been able to make some things happen. But tonight was a little bit discouraging because I think we had an opportunity. If we play our game, those are the matches you look forward to. We just didn't do it tonight."
Camila Jersonsky led Auburn with eight kills as no Auburn player reached double-digits. Kia Bright and Kathia Rud had five kills apiece, and Stephanie Campbell and Courtney McDonald added four. Jersonsky and McDonald shared the Auburn lead in blocks with four each.
Sarah Wroblicky had a team-best 11 digs while Chelsea Wintzinger added 10. Wintzinger also had a pair of service aces.
Kentucky was led by senior Whitney Billings, who had a double-double with 17 kills and 14 digs along with four blocks. Setter Morgan Bergren had 37 assists along with five kills, eight digs and four blocks, and libero Jackie Napper had a match-high 16 digs.
Auburn had season-lows in kills (29), assists (24), digs (45) and hitting percentage (.102), while Kentucky had 50 kills, 60 digs and 12.5 blocks.
The Tigers will wrap up a three-match homestand Wednesday night, Oct. 2, as they play host to archrival Alabama at 7 p.m. at Auburn Arena. Fans are encouraged to wear orange for the annual "All Auburn, All Orange" match, and #BeatBama t-shirts will be given to the first 250 fans.