Sept. 2, 2016
LOUISVILLE, Ky. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn volleyball team put together a balanced effort to open the Active Ankle Challenge Friday, sweeping Stony Brook, 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-20), in the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
The Tigers (2-3) exceled from the service line, totaling 11 service aces. Junior libero Jesse Earl tied a career-high with four, while junior setter Alexa Filley set a season-best with three.
The Auburn blockers also had a solid night and finished with a season-high seven blocks. Senior Breanna Barksdale was a part of five team blocks, while freshman Gwyn Jones had her hand in four. The back row also produced with Earl having 14 digs and Filley adding seven.
Offensively, it was a collective effort from the Tiger attackers. Sophomore Brenna McIlroy led the way with seven, while Barksdale and senior Emily Klitzke chipped in six. Freshman Enija Bidzane tied a season-high with five.
Liz Pulver led the Seawolves with nine kills and Maria Poole finished with seven. Libero Kardasia Hitchcock had a team-high eight digs and setter Morgan Kath had 25 assists.
A kill from Barksdale followed by a pair of Barksdale/Jones blocks led to a 5-4 Auburn lead in set one. Kills by Klitzke and aces from McIlroy and Earl highlighted a 6-1 run that pushed the Tigers up 13-10. Auburn capitalized on Stony Brook errors to extend its lead at 19-14 and an ace by Filley gave the Tigers the set, 25-19.
At 9-9 in set two, an ace from Tate Pember sent the Tigers on a run to go up 12-9. The Seawolves battled back and the teams exchanged points until a kill from Crable triggered a 6-0 Tiger run, giving Auburn a 22-16 advantage. Jones sealed the set win with a kill, 25-19.
The Seawolves held a slim lead to start the third set and utilized Tiger errors to go up 10-6. Kills from Bidzane and Barksdale highlighted a five-point Auburn run that put the Tigers up 12-11. A kill by McIlroy and back-to-back Filley aces pushed Auburn up 16-13 and a kill by Bidzane sent the Tigers on a four-point rally to close out the match, 25-20.
The Tigers return to the KFC Yum! Center Saturday for a 11 a.m. CT match vs. Santa Clara. Auburn closes out the Active Ankle Challenge with a 6:30 p.m. CT match vs. No. 21 Louisville Saturday night.