Sept. 20, 2014
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AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn volleyball team has become quite familiar with five-set matches over the last seven days and Saturday the Tigers found a way to earn their third straight win, downing Northwestern State, 3-2 (19-25, 26-24, 17-25, 25-23, 15-12) to win the War Eagle Invitational title.
Auburn (8-5) trailed 10-6 in the fifth set, but reeled off nine of the next 11 points to win the match, completing the comeback effort against Northwestern State (3-10). The win moved the Tigers to 2-2 in five-set matches this year with all four of those contents coming since last Saturday.
"We talked in the locker room after the match and you don't get a lot of chances to win tournaments. It's something when you get in that situation it's good to see us push through," head coach Rick Nold said. "Getting down early and then making a big run at the end was big for our team."
The Tigers won the digs battle, logging a season-high 107, finishing with the most in match by an Auburn team last season at LSU. Five players recorded double-digit digs including Alyssa Ivey's career-best 28 digs, while Taylor Schill also added in a career-high 22 digs.
Alexa Filley posted 50-plus assists for the third time this year, dishing out 52 and adding 16 digs en route to tournament MVP honors. The freshman earned her team-high sixth double-double of the season in the five-set win.
Offensively, Auburn was led by Macy Reece with 15 kills and a .233 hitting percentage. Breanna Barksdale and Courtney Crable heated up for the Tigers late in the match when it matteed most to fuel Auburn's comeback bid.
Barksdale posted three kills in the final frame and added her third block of the night to seal the match. The sophomore finished with a season-high 11 kills on 27 swings with three blocks to earn all-tournament honors. Crable finished with 14 kills, one shy of a tying a season-high, and a career-best 19 digs to earn her third double-double of 2014.
Stephanie Campbell joined Barksdale on the all-tournament team, posting 12 kills and leading the club with a pair of service aces, chipping in two blocks against the Lady Demons.
The win gave Nold his 52nd win at the helm of the Auburn program, which ranks as the fourth-most by a head coach in program history. Auburn also took home its 11th win in its last 12 matches on its home floor at Auburn Arena, a run that dates back to the 2013 season.
The Tigers open their SEC home slate on Friday night at Auburn Arena against No. 7 Florida at 7 p.m. Admission is free and the match will be broadcasted on the SEC Network +.
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