Nov. 21, 2014
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Auburn volleyball could not overcome a strong offensive attack from Alabama on Friday night, dropping a 3-1 decision (13-25, 29-27, 25-22, 16-25) at Foster Auditorium.
The Tigers (12-16, 4-11 SEC) battled tough with the Tide (23-6, 11-4 SEC), especially in the second and third sets when Auburn got rolling offensively, put together a strong blocking effort up front and served aggressively. Auburn finished with eight service aces in the match, its most since Oct. 5 in a 3-1 win over Georgia.
"It really came down to serving," head coach Rick Nold said. "In games one and four, I thought [Alabama] did a really good job pressuring us with their serve and we didn't handle that well. That flipped in game two when were aggressive. We've talked about that all year that serving and passing wins matches. I think we battled hard, but we didn't make the plays we needed to make."
Stephanie Campbell led Auburn with 12 kills on 25 attempts with just one error. The sophomore hit a team-high .440, collected a season-high three aces and chipped in three blocks.
Courtney Crable added in nine kills along with two aces. The freshman moved into ninth in Auburn single-season history with 295 kills and her 29 services aces this year are the third-most in the Tigers' record book.
Breanna Barksdale finished the match with six blocks to lead the Tigers. The sophomore now has 96 rejections this season, just two shy of moving into second place in Auburn single-season history.
Alyssa Ivey led the Tigers with 15 digs, adding in five assists. Mary Hannah Arrington logged seven digs, while Kelly Stewart collected six. Alexa Filley posted 30 assists and chipped in six digs. The freshman now has 1,043 assists this season, the eighth-most all-time by an Auburn setter. She also added in two blocks and an ace for the Tigers.
Alabama out-hit Auburn, .369-217 as the Tide put down 70 kills to the Tigers' 40. Auburn out-blocked the Tide, 9-4 and finished with more service aces, 8-6.
Krystal Rivers led the Tide with 22 kills, while Brittany Hutson earned a double-double with a 17-kill, 12-dig performance to finish with a .429 hitting percentage. Sierra Wilson dished a match-high 52 assists, while Natalie Murison posted 18 digs for Alabama.
After the Tide took the opening stanza, Auburn battled to take an extended second set thanks in part to a strong blocking and serving effort. The Tigers kept Alabama out-of-system for several stretches, as Auburn converted a set point at 28-27 with a block from Barksdale and Reece. Campbell hit .714 in the second set and finished with five kills in the frame while the Tigers registered six blocks to slow down Alabama's attack.
The Tigers dropped a back-and-forth third set where both teams caught fire offensively, as each club hit above a .300 clip in the frame. With Auburn up 22-21 in the game, the Tide rolled off four straight points to take the set. Alabama hit .483 with 18 kills in the final set to close out the match.
Auburn heads to Baton Rouge, La., for its final road match of the season on Sunday versus LSU. First serve is set for 1 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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