Oct. 4, 2017
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KNOXVILLE, TENN. -- The Auburn volleyball team held on for a tough 3-2 (25-22, 19-25, 25-18, 25-27, 15-11) road victory over Tennessee Wednesday night in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Tigers moved to 11-3 overall and 4-1 in Southeastern Conference action.
"I like the way we battled and pushed through a tough, scrappy game," said head coach Rick Nold. "I'm proud of some players stepping in the end and getting it done for us."
Sophomore Shaina White had a solid night for the Tigers, totaling a career-high 19 kills to go with five blocks and two service aces. Classmate Gwyn Jones finished with 12 kills, while seniors Macy Reece and Courtney Crable had 11 and 10, respectively.
Senior libero Jesse Earl continued her dominance in the back row, leading all student-athletes with a career-high 36 digs. It was her second 30+ dig match of the year and the fifth time in the last six matches the Indianapolis product reached 20 or more digs.
Senior Alexa Filley picked up her 10th double-double of the year, having a match-high 50 assists with 13 digs. Junior Brenna McIlroy added season-best 18 digs, while Jones and Filley added four and three blocks, respectively.
Tennessee (8-6, 1-4 SEC) had two student-athletes in double digits offensively as Erica Treiber totaled 16 and Tessa Grubbs had 14. Setter Sedona Hansen finished with 27 digs and 16 assists, while Treiber had seven blocks.
The Vols capitalized on strong blocks to open the first with an 8-4 lead. Auburn responded with tough serving from Karis Beasley and a strong block of its own to push a 14-10 advantage. Following a timeout, UT regained the lead at 17-15, but the Tigers used a well-balanced effort to take the set, 25-22.
Tennessee took ahold of set two early and held its lead the entire stanza. The Vols pushed a handful of two-point runs to go up 8-4. The teams went back and forth throughout the rest of the sent and UT tied the match at 1-1 with a 25-19 win.
Smart play at the net from S. White and Crable put the Tigers ahead early in the third, 11-4. The Vols inched their way back and eventually cut the AU lead, 15-14, before more kills by Crable forced a UT timeout at 19-14. Solid serving from S. White made it 22-15 and the Tigers went on to win the set, 25-18.
Auburn went up 4-1 early in the fourth with the help of three service aces. The Vols battled back and took the lead at 9-8 before a pair of big blocks for Auburn made it 10-9. Another UT run late in the set gave the home team a two-point advantage, but the Tigers used scrappy play to lock the set at 20-all. The two squads went back and forth to end the set before AU held match point, 24-23. The Vols held off the Tiger attack and took momentum to force a fifth, 27-25.
Tennessee carried the energy into the fifth to go up 4-2, but the Tigers responded with a run to take a 10-7 advantage. The teams exchanged points until a kill by Jones made it match point, 14-11. In fitting fashion, S. White closed out the night with her 19th kill, 15-11.
The Tigers head to No. 10 Kentucky Sunday, Oct. 8, for a 1 p.m. CT showdown. Auburn's tilt with the Wildcats is slated to be broadcast on ESPNU.