AUBURN, Ala. – Freshman Lily Thomason turned in a double-digit kill performance to lead the Tigers, but the Auburn volleyball (6-20, 0-15 SEC) team dropped a 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-17) decision to No. 15 Florida Wednesday night at Auburn Arena.
For the second straight match, Thomason led the Tigers as she finished the night with 10 kills. It was her fourth double-digit kill performance in SEC play this season. Senior Shaina White tallied six kills and led the team with a .417 hitting percentage. She added three digs and two blocks.
Junior Morgan Kull totaled a team-leading 22 assists and added six digs for the Tigers. Sophomore Bella Rosenthall topped the Auburn defense with 10 digs.
Florida (22-4, 13-2 SEC) was led by Holly Carlton, who closed the night with a match-high 13 kills and added two blocks. Marlie Monserez tallied a double-double for the Gators with 28 assists and 11 digs. Defensively, Paula Cerame led UF with 12 digs.
Auburn closes out its home schedule on Sunday, welcoming South Carolina to Auburn Arena at 1 p.m. CT. Auburn will honor its four graduating Tigers in a pregame Senior Day ceremony.
SET ONE
Florida opened the match with a 5-0 run before Auburn got on the board with kills from Chesney McClellan and Shania White. Another charge by Florida extend the Gator lead to 18-10 and forced the Tigers to use their final timeout. Auburn scored seven points down the stretch, but Florida went on to take the opening stanza, 25-17.
SET TWO
The Gators jumped out to a 3-0 start, but the Tigers kept pace and pulled within two, 8-6, with a kill from Jaeden Brown. A Florida run gave the Gators breathing room, but Auburn dug deep and fought off four set points. UF hung on and close the set with a 25-17 victory.
SET THREE
A 3-0 start by the Gators was short lived as Auburn battled back to lock the set up at 4-all with a block from White and Kull. The two squads exchanged points until a 6-0 run by UF extend the Gator lead. Florida closed out the match with a 25-17 win in the final set.