Nov. 26, 2014
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AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn had four players finish with double-digit kills, but Kentucky's relentless offensive attack was too much for the Tigers to overcome, falling to the No. 15 Wildcats, 3-1 (14-25, 25-20, 22-25, 23-25), Wednesday at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers (12-18, 4-13 SEC) nearly snapped a seven-match losing skid against Kentucky (25-5, 14-3 SEC) as Auburn finished with a .278 hitting percentage versus the Wildcats, its best effort in a home loss this year.
"I thought we came out and we were very aggressive," head coach Rick Nold said. "We battled throughout the match and some things didn't go our way, but that's part of it."
Auburn's offense was balanced during the match as Breanna Barksdale and Stephanie Campbell led the Tigers with 13 kills apiece, respectively. Barksdale's totaled marked a season-best for the sophomore, while Campbell finished in double-figures for the fourth-straight contest finishing with a .323 hitting percentage and five blocks.
"Breanna and Stephanie worked really hard in the middle," Nold said, afterwards. "That sets things up for others and gives Alexa a lot of options. We talked about it before the game that if they could make themselves available it would make things tougher for Kentucky."
Macy Reece recorded a team-best .455 hitting percentage and posted 12 kills on 22 swings. Courtney Crable collected 11 kills and added in three digs. Auburn just missed adding a fifth player with double-digits kills as Emily Klitzke put down nine in the match.
Alexa Filley directed a balanced attack and picked up her 17th double-double of the season, recording 53 assists and 15 digs. The freshman now has 1,132 assists this year, the eighth-most every by an Auburn setter. Her 11 double-doubles in SEC play lead the conference.
Alyssa Ivey led the Tigers with 18 digs and dished four assists. Kelly Stewart logged nine digs, while Tate Pember finished with eight. Klitzke collected a team-high four blocks for the Tigers.
Lauren O'Conner led a trio of Wildcats with double-figure kills, finishing with a match-high 16. Anni Thomasson posted 11 kills and logged 15 digs, while Emily Franklin chipped in 10 kills. Jackie Napper recorded a match-high 20 digs and Morgan Bergren dished out 42 assists along with seven kills, seven digs. The setter was Kentucky's leading blocker in the match, finishing with five.
After dropping a first set that was much closer than the score indicated, Auburn withstood Kentucky's strong attack in the second frame and used a 5-1 run at down the stretch to claim game two. The Tigers hit .389 in the set and collected three crucial blocks to tie the match at 1-1.
The final two sets were fights to the finish. Auburn actually out-hit Kentucky, .310-.300, in a back-and-forth third set, but Kentucky held a two-point advantage for most the frame and held off a late charge from the Tigers. Auburn once again battled back to put the 15th-ranked Wildcats on their heels in the fourth set at 23-23, but a service error and an attack error from the Tigers sealed the match in favor of Kentucky.
Auburn put down 61 kills to Kentucky's 60, losing for just the fourth time this year when recording more kills than its opponent. The Tigers also led the Wildcats in assists (59-54), digs (62-59) as each team recorded seven blocks, respectively.
The Tigers will play their final home match of the season on Saturday against Mississippi State. First serve is set for noon at Auburn Arena and the match will be televised on SEC Network +. Admission is free.
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