Sept. 13, 2014
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AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn volleyball team fought off three match points to outlast Winthrop, defeating the Eagles, 3-2 (26-24, 23-25, 21-25, 17-25, 22-20) Saturday at Auburn Arena.
Four Auburn (5-3) players collected double-digits kills as the Tigers recorded a season-high 69 along with nine service aces to secure the victory over the Eagles (4-6). The win marked Auburn's first five-set victory of the year and extended the Tigers' home winning streak at Auburn Arena to eight consecutive matches.
"We played a scrappy Winthrop team and they played well," head coach Rick Nold said. "I thought we were up and down at some points, but I think for a young team to comeback from several match points down and to make some plays at the end was huge for our confidence."
Down 2-1 in the match, the Tigers battled back in the fourth set, hitting .333 with 15 kills to extend the contest to a fifth and final set. Auburn had to withstand three match points in Winthrop's favor in the deciding frame, but the Tigers finally jumped ahead at 21-20 after a kill from Emily Klitzke. The sophomore combined with Stephanie Campbell on the next point to seal the match with Auburn's eighth team block of the day.
Campbell led the way with career-high 18 kills and hit a team-best .317 on 41 attempts. Courtney Crable added in her second double-double of the last three matches with 14 kills and 12 digs along with a team-high four aces. Klitzke caught fire late in the match and posted 11 kills and pair of blocks in the win.
Alexa Filley dished a season-high 55 assists for the Tigers - the most by an Auburn setter since 2007. The freshman also added in 20 digs to earn her third career-double and chipped in a pair of aces from the service line.
Alyssa Ivey was Auburn's defensive standout with a career-high 24 digs, which is tied for the 17th-best total in school history. Campbell led Auburn's blocking game with five as the Tigers recorded nine team blocks in the five-set win.
Auburn wraps up the Active Ankle Challenge Saturday night as the Tigers take on USF at 7:30 p.m. at Auburn Arena. Admission is free and the match can been on seen on the SEC Network + through the WatchESPN app.
For the latest updates on Auburn Volleyball, follow the Tigers on Twitter, @AuburnVB or like Auburn Volleyball on Facebook.