Tigers top FGCU in four sets; Nold gets 50th win at Auburn

Sept. 7, 2014

Auburn (3-3) Match #6 1 2 3 4 5 FGCU 28 25 18 18 X Auburn Tigers 30 17 25 25 X FGCU (2-4)

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COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Auburn volleyball team ended the weekend on a strong note, taking down Florida Gulf Coast, 3-1 (30-28, 17-25, 25-18, 25-18), Sunday in its final match at the Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic.

The Tigers (3-3) improved to 2-0 in four-set matches this season, defeating the Eagles (2-4) in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The win gave head coach Rick Nold his 50th victory at Auburn as the Tigers used a strong effort in the final two sets, hitting .323 and collecting 29 of its 51 kills along with five blocks to knock off FGCU.

"I thought we didn't played well early in the match, but I thought we had the right mindset," Nold said. "Sometimes things don't go the way you've planned to start out, but we began to play better and better as the match went on. We began to pass the ball better and find some opener hitters which really helped us."

Four Tigers posted double-digit kills as Stephanie Campbell led way, tying a career-high with 13 on a season-best 37 attempts. The sophomore also added in four blocks and five digs in the victory. Emily Klitzke posted a season-high 12 kills, hitting .217 along with six blocks as the sophomore began Auburn's go-to hitter late in the match. Breanna Barksdale also chipped in a career-high 10 kills and six blocks for the Tigers.

In her first career start at libero, Alyssa Ivey helped key the Tigers' passing game with a career-best 22 digs - the second-most by an Auburn play through six matches.

"(Alyssa) played with a lot of confidence and she passed the ball really well for us. We've moved around a lot in that spot and the thing she did was stay aggressive and went after balls to make some plays," Nold said.

Alexa Filley tied a season-high with 43 assists in the win, adding in a pair of kills and two blocks. Courtney Crable picked up her first career double-double, registering 10 kills and 10 digs against the Eagles.

Both teams opened the match with a marathon first set that saw Auburn claw back from a 14-9 deficit midway through the frame. After the Tigers called their first timeout of the match, Auburn raced back to tie the set at 15-15 as four FGCU errors allowed the Tigers to close the gap. Auburn closed out the set behind a kill from Stephanie Campbell to jump into the lead for good, getting an attack error from the Eagles to claim the opening stanza.

FGCU took control in the second set and led the entire way. The Tigers hit -.108 with 11 errors to allow the Eagles to tie the match before the break.

In the third set, Auburn began to find its rhythm offensively, collecting 15 kills and hitting .263 in the frame with just four attack errors. Campbell and Klitzke combined for five kills apiece in the set to give the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish.

Auburn saved its best offensive output for the fourth set, hitting a blistering .417 along with 14 kills. Campbell closed out the match, hitting .600 with four kills in the final frame, while Barksdale and Klitzke posted three kills apiece to allow Auburn to clinch the match.

The Tigers open up their home slate with the Active Ankle Challenge at Auburn Arena, Sept. 12-13. Auburn takes on in-state foe Troy at 7 p.m. on Friday, before playing Winthrop (12 p.m.) and USF (7:30 p.m.) on Saturday. Admission is free to all home Auburn volleyball matches.

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