Sept. 4, 2015
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AUBURN, Ala. - Sophomore Courtney Crable matched a career-high with 20 kills, but the Auburn volleyball team came up just short in a five-set loss to Syracuse at home Friday night.
The Tigers (4-1) fell in a five-setter for the first time this season as Syracuse (4-0) took a 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 15-8 win.
"Syracuse is a veteran team, and they did a good job of playing within themselves," Auburn head coach Rick Nold said, "and basically picking some open spots that we kept giving up. We've got to learn to make adjustments to that. We talked a lot about that, we just weren't able to make the changes. As a team, that's something we've got to keep working on. We've got to give ourselves the opportunities, and I just thought they did a better job of that."
Crable's 20-kill effort matched her output in last season's five-set win at South Carolina. Eight of those kills came in the final two sets as the Tigers rallied from a 2-1 deficit to force a fifth game.
Freshman Brenna McIlroy matched her best output with an 18-kill, 13-dig performance, notching her third double-double of the year. Junior Breanna Barksdale added 11 kills and a match-high seven blocks.
Errors plagued the Tigers through the first three sets; Auburn hit .091 with 29 errors in that stretch as the Orange pushed ahead to a 2-1 lead. But over the last two sets, the Tigers had 29 kills with just seven errors for a .289 hitting percentage, giving them a chance to complete the comeback.
Auburn had more kills (70-57) and digs (64-53) in the match, and Syracuse had just one more block than the Tigers (9-8). Reigning ACC Player of the Week Silvi Uattara led the Orange with 20 kills and three blocks.
The Tigers hit the road for the first time in 2015 on Sunday as they travel to Georgia Tech. First serve is set for noon CT at O'Keefe Gym in Atlanta.