AUBURN, Ala. –Auburn Volleyball hung tough with the No. 14 Florida Gators but could not keep pace as the match wore on, falling 3-0 (23-25, 18-25, 15-25) on Wednesday evening.
Over 1,600 of the Tiger faithful packed into Neville Arena, marking the seventh-largest crowd in program history, and the Orange and Blue didn't disappoint in the first set.
Going toe-to-toe with Florida, the opening frame featured 17 ties and five lead changes.
Freshman Madison Scheer corralled five kills on seven swings and fellow youngster Akasha Anderson wasn't far behind, stacking up four kills of her own.
As a team, the Tigers hit an impressive .308 as it looked like the set might creep into extra points. A quick two-point run, matching the largest streak of points from either team, gave the Gators the opening stanza and the lead.
Both offenses came down to earth in set number two. After hitting north of .500 to open the contest, four timely blocks, including three from Kendal Kemp, kept Florida at just .200 for the second set.
The Eagan, Minnesota native finished the night with four blocks, totaling 117 on the season and two shy of sliding into second place in single-season Auburn history.
Kemp's middle blocking partner Chelsey Harmon found a run of success midway through the frame, connecting on three kills to keep the Gators within arm's reach.
However, double-digit errors were ultimately too many to overcome as Florida took a two-set advantage.
Momentum in hand, Florida found its largest bit of separation in the third. Still, though, head coach Brent Crouch's Tigers did not go away.
Following a timeout, two kills from Scheer and an error from the visitors forced Florida to take time to think about things.
In the end, the hole was too deep for Auburn to crawl out of as the Tigers dropped just its third match of the season and the first inside Neville Arena in 2022.
MATCH NOTES
- The 1,654 on hand marks the seventh-largest crown in Auburn Volleyball history
- Sarah Morton tracked down 11 digs to give her 19 matches this season with at least 10
- Kendal Kemp racked up four blocks to give her 117 on the season, two shy of tying Camila Jersonsky for second place in single-season history
UP NEXT
The Tigers head out on the road to Lexington for two matches with the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday and Sunday. Auburn returns home to the Plains on Nov. 5 for the first of two matches against Texas A&M.