Sept. 16, 2016
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn volleyball dropped a 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-16) match at No. 23 Michigan Friday night in Cliff Keen Arena on the first day of the Michigan Challenge.
"We did a really good job getting Michigan out of system, but didn't take advantage of those opportunities," head coach Rick Nold said. "Michigan is a good team and we need to clean up our game and not give away easy points."
Auburn (5-6) was led by sophomore Brenna McIlroy with 10 kills, while freshman Gwyn Jones, junior Courtney Crable, and senior Breanna Barksdale had six each. Barksdale tied a match-high with five blocks, while libero Jesse Earl led all student-athletes with 16 digs.
Michigan's (9-1) Abby Cole had a match-best 13 kills, while Jenna Lerg and Tiffany Clark had 12 and 10 digs, respectively.
The Wolverines jumped out to an early 5-2 advantage in set one and pushed a five-point run to go up 15-7. A kill by Crable sent Auburn on an 8-2 run, cutting the Michigan lead at 17-15. UM regrouped after a timeout and pressed for a 25-18 set win.
Michigan kept its momentum and took a 10-5 lead in the second stanza. Auburn, however, responded with a 9-1 rally and took its first lead of the match at 14-12. The team's battled back and forth until a Wolverine run gave the home team set point at 24-21. The Tigers weren't done and with a trio of kills by Crable and a service ace from Tate Pember, Auburn took set point at 25-24. The Wolverines responded and closed the set with a 3-0 run to win 27-25.
A solo block and kill by Stephanie Campbell put the Tigers ahead early in the third at 3-2, but the Wolverines responded with a major run to go up 9-4. Auburn battled back with some scrappy play and came within one at 13-12. UM responded with a run to go ahead at 20-13 and the Wolverines took the match with a 25- victory.
Auburn returns to competition Saturday with a pair of matches at the EMU Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Tigers take on Colgate at 10 a.m. CT and follow with a 6 p.m. CT match vs. Eastern Michigan.