Oct. 4, 2013
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Auburn volleyball team gave unbeaten Missouri a tough fight in two of three sets, but came up short in a 3-0 loss (25-27, 11-25, 21-25) Friday night at the Hearnes Center.
Auburn (9-6, 0-3 SEC) played some of its best volleyball of the last three weeks in the first set of the match, but struggles in the serve-receive game against a tough-serving Missouri (18-0, 3-0 SEC) proved to be the difference in the second game.
"Missouri's a good team," Auburn head coach Rick Nold said. "We rely a lot on our passing against a team like that, and we've got to be in system. Defensively, we were up and down. There were some times that we had some system breakdowns where they took advantage. But they're a good team, and you can't afford to make little mistakes against them.
"We were passing the ball better (in sets one and three), and we were able to get them out of system a little bit to make it easier on ourselves. Every match is going to be that way. It comes down to serve and pass, and the opportunities you allow the other team to have."
Missouri had eight service aces in the match, including five in the second set. Auburn, despite being out of system for much of the final two sets, hit for a .247 percentage, their best in a loss this year. Mizzou controlled all stat categories with more kills (45-40), a higher hitting percentage (.351-.247), more digs (38-32) and one more block (6-5).
Katherine Culwell led all hitters with 16 kills in the match to go along with a solo block and four digs. Camila Jersonsky added seven kills and three blocks, and Kathia Rud posted five kills and a block.
Emily Klitzke and Stephanie Campbell had four kills apiece for Auburn. Chelsea Wintzinger led the Auburn setters with 17 assists, and Sarah Wroblicky recorded 12 digs.
Missouri was led by Lisa Henning and Emily Wilson, who each had 10 kills. Henning was also responsible for five of Mizzou's eight aces. Setter Molly Kreklow was outstanding on all fronts with eight kills on eight attempts along with 32 assists.
The Tigers will close out the weekend Sunday afternoon with a 1:30 p.m. match against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Ark. AuburnTigers.com will have live audio coverage from Barnhill Arena beginning at 1:25 p.m., and fans can follow @AUVolleyball on Twitter for the latest updates.