Sept. 5, 2014
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Auburn volleyball team fell 3-0 (23-25, 20-25, 19-25) to Southern Illinois Friday night in its second match of the day at the Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic at St. John Arena.
The Tigers (2-3) matched the Salukis (2-4) in nearly every statistical category, but nine service errors along with seven SIU team blocks slowed down the Auburn attack from picking up steam.
The freshmen duo of Courtney Crable and Macy Reece combined to pick up 25 of Auburn's 39 kills in the match. Crable posted a season-high 15 kills, hitting .323, while Reece collected 10 kills and hit a season-best .381. Reece was also effective for the Tigers defensively, picking up three blocks.
"We liked some of the things (Courtney and Macy) did tonight. Before the match, we told everyone that we wanted to see some of our hitters come out and be aggressive," Auburn head coach Rick Nold said. "But, as a group we had a lot of mental breakdowns and some tentative play ... I thought (Southern Illinois) did a great job of keeping pressure on us in the middle and we just couldn't make stops."
Mary Hannah Arrrington recorded nine digs for the Tigers, while Alexa Filley accumulated eight. Filley also compiled a match-high 34 kills in the loss.
Andrea Estrada led the Salukis with 11 kills and five blocks, while Hannah Kamisky dished out 16 assists. Alex Rivera had a match-high 15 digs.
Both teams battled back and forth throughout the first set, which featured 12 ties and eight lead changes. Auburn led 23-22 late in the set, but the Salukis rattled off three straight points to claim the opening game.
SIU jumped out to 11-3 and did not look back in the second set. Auburn fought back to cut the deficit down to 20-17 after a kill from Kristel Moor, but the Salukis claimed five of the next eight points to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room.
In the third set, the Salukis out-hit the Tigers, .235-.138 and added in four of their five service aces to claim the match.
Auburn gets a day off Saturday and will return to action on Sunday against Florida Gulf Coast to close out the Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic. Match time is set for 10 a.m. CT.
For the latest updates on Auburn Volleyball, follow the Tigers on Twitter, @AuburnVB or like Auburn Volleyball on Facebook.