Aug. 26, 2017
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ATLANTA -- The Auburn volleyball team capped the 2017 season-opening weekend with a 3-1 (25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 25-18) victory Saturday night over Furman at the Hyatt Regency Invitational held on the campus of Georgia Tech. The win pushed the Tigers to 2-1 overall.
"I think that it was a really good match for us," head coach Rick Nold said. "Furman is a scrappy team and they defend well. They put a lot of pressure on us, but we stayed composed and kept fighting for points on our side."
Junior Brenna McIlroy and sophomore Shaina White led Auburn as the pair finished with 16 and 14 kills, respectively. The duo earned a spot on the all-tournament team for their efforts.
"We really learned a lot about ourselves this weekend as most teams do to start the season," Nold added. "The other team put pressure on us all weekend, but the thing that we like is that we have versatility and had players able to step up when needed."
McIlroy picked up her first double-double of the season as she added 13 digs on the match. Senior setter Alexa Filley also finished with a double-double on the day, totaling a season-high 47 assists and with 11 digs.
The Auburn back row had a great night overall as senior libero Jesse Earl led the way with a season-best 18 digs. Sophomore Karis Beasley put together a career-high in the category, totaling 11 digs for the Tigers, while freshman Payton White chipped in six.
Furman's (1-2) Jamila Johnson had 16 kills and 13 digs with Christen Sikora finished with 11 kills and 12 digs. Libero Meg DeMaar had a match-high 20 digs and setter Hunter Thompson finished with 42 assists.
The two teams battled back and forth in set one, seeing the Paladins pull ahead with a 10-7 lead. The Tigers responded with a 7-1 run to earn a 14-11 lead and kills from S. White and Stevenson held Auburn at 18-16. Furman regrouped to secure a 21-19 advantage, but the Tigers would not be outdone as the squad closed out the set on a six-point run to take it, 25-21.
A trio of long rallies for Auburn pushed the Tigers to a 12-6 lead in the second stanza. A kill from Gwyn Jones and a solo stuff by Anna Stevenson made it 16-9 before the Paladins pushed a run to force an Auburn timeout, 17-15 Tigers. A trio of kills from S. White made it 21-18 and a pair of Furman errors gave the Tigers set point. Reece sealed it up with a kill in the middle, 25-22.
Furman rebounded after intermission and grabbed a quick 5-2 lead to start the third. An ace from Beasley brought the Tigers within a point, 8-7, and a pair of Paladin errors made it 14-13 Furman. Two-straight kills from Filley kicked off a late Auburn push, but the Paladins held to send the match to set four, 25-20.
The Tigers came out swinging in the fourth and final set of the night, starting off with kills from McIlroy and an ace by Filley to make it 5-1. Senior Courtney Crable connected with Filley for a kill that triggered a four-point Auburn swing, pushing the Tigers ahead, 10-4. The Paladins chipped away at the AU lead, coming within two at 15-13, but the Tigers pushed on and used a 7-1 run to gain a 23-15 advantage. A pair of Reece kills solidified the victory, 25-18.
The Tigers open their home schedule Tuesday, Aug. 29, hosting Alabama State in Auburn Arena at 7 p.m. CT. The team then will travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the SEC/ACC Challenge, Sept. 2-3. Auburn opens with a match against nationally-ranked North Carolina Saturday and caps the weekend against North Carolina State Sunday.