COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Auburn volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25- ) contest to South Carolina Sunday afternoon. The loss moved the Tigers to 10-13 overall and 3-10 in the Southeastern Conference.
"We came out strong, but couldn't hold the momentum," head coach Rick Nold said. "South Carolina took advantage of our errors and that's not something you can do in this league. We're looking forward to being back in Auburn Arena Wednesday."
Freshman Tatum Shipes picked up her fourth-straight double-digit performance, leading the Tigers with 10 kills. Sophomore Anna Stevenson added nine, while senior Brenna McIlroy finished with eight. Freshman setter Mica Allison finished with 34 assists.
Stevenson led the squad with four blocks, while sophomore Chesney McClellan followed with three. Allison had another double-double, leading the Tigers with 11 digs. McIlroy had nine and junior Karis Beasley finished with eight.
Three Gamecocks (17-6, 8-5) finished with double-digits on the day. Mikayla Shields had a match-high 13 kills, while Brittany McClean totaled 11. Mikayla Robinson chipped in 10 and setter Courtney Koehler totaled 42 assists.
The Tigers got the match off on a strong foot in the first with the help of two service aces by McIlroy , 6-1. The teams exchanged points until a pair of two-point pushes from the Gamecocks brought the home team within three at 17-14. A kill by McIlroy made it 19-14 and a Stevenson/McIlroy block pushed Auburn to a 21-17 advantage. The Tigers went on to take the set, 25-21.
South Carolina used a 7-1 run in the second to take a quick 10-4 lead, forcing an early Auburn timeout. The Tigers responded with great play at the net to cut the lead at 10-7, but the Gamecocks capitalized on late Auburn errors to go ahead at 17-11. SC held for a 25-18 win.
Kills from McClellan and Shipes locked set three at 4-4 before the Gamecocks pushed a long rally to go ahead 13-5. A trio of Stevenson kills and an ace from McIlroy cut the SC lead at 17-13 and an Allison/McClellan block set the score 20-15, SC. The Gamecocks however, took advantage of late Auburn errors and won the set, 25-17.
Big swings from Stevenson and McClellan made it 2-2 to start the fourth, but SC capitalized on strong serving to get the Tigers out of system and took a huge lead, 16-3. The Gamecocks took the match with a 25-14 win.
The Tigers return home to Auburn Arena for a pair of big matches against nationally-ranked opponents. Auburn kicks off the week with a Wednesday-night contest vs. No. 20 Missouri, Nov. 7, at 8 p.m. CT. The squad follows with a 12 p.m. CT match against No. 11 Florida, Sunday, Nov. 11. Both contests will be broadcast live on SEC Network.
