Nov. 2, 2014
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ATHENS, Ga. - Auburn volleyball dropped a heartbreaker Sunday on the road, falling to Georgia, 3-2 (24-26, 30-28, 19-25, 25-10, 13-15) at the Ramsey Center.
The Tigers (10-13, 2-8 SEC) had five players register double-digit kills in the match, the most against a conference opponent this season. Auburn battled back from a 2-1 deficit to force a fifth set and held a 12-9 lead late in the frame, but a 6-1 Georgia run sealed the match in favor of the Bulldogs.
"It was a battle all the way. I think offensively both teams played very well," head coach Rick Nold said. "When we needed to make some stops, we played disciplined defensively and there towards the end they made a run and we couldn't come up with the finish we needed."
Macy Reece collected 20-plus kills for the second time this season, leading the Tigers with 21 and hitting .432 in the match. Stephanie Campbell tied her career-high with 18 kills, leading the Tigers with a .516 hitting percentage - her best mark of the season. The sophomore added in six blocks giving her 11 stuffs in the last two matches.
Courtney Crable posted 14 kills along with four digs and a block, while Emily Klitzke chipped in 10 kills of her own. Breanna Barksdale caught fire late in the match for the Tigers, finishing the contest with nine kills on 20 swings to hit .300.
Alexa Filley recorded 50-plus assists for the fifth time this season as the freshman posted her eight double-double in the last 12 matches by intermission. Filley dished out a match-high 57 assists and logged 19 digs to fill up the box score.
Alyssa Ivey logged a team-high 23 digs, the most by Auburn's libero in league play this season. Mary Hannah Arrington finished with 11 digs, while Taylor Schill chipped in 10.
The Tigers finished with a hitting percentage above .300 for the second straight match and out-hit the Bulldogs, 314-.283. Auburn led Georgia in kills (75-63), digs (78-59) and assists (72).
Auburn fell down early in the opening set, but battled back to take first game down to the wire. Trailing 23-20, the Tigers surged back by taking the next five points, and then fending off a Georgia set point at 24-all.
The Tigers tied the match at 1-1, winning a marathon second set. Auburn led at 24-20, but Georgia rallied to extend the game. Tied at 28-all, Auburn got kills from Campbell and Reece, respectively, to claim the set.
After Georgia claimed the third set, the Tigers battled back to dominate the Bulldogs in the fourth to force a deciding frame. Auburn fell down early at 8-4 but rallied back to take a 12-9 lead. From there, Georgia used a late 6-1 run to come back and win the five-set match.
The Tigers return home on Friday, Nov. 7 to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 6 p.m. in the lone meeting between the two teams this season. The match will be a part of a doubleheader at Auburn Arena as the Auburn men's basketball team will be the nightcap and take on West Alabama in an exhibition. Admission to the volleyball match is free and gates will open at 5 p.m.
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