LEXINGTON, Ky. – Auburn Volleyball showed they were capable of hanging with the Wildcats but a balanced Kentucky attack proved too much for the Tigers on Sunday, falling 3-0 (13-25, 20-25, 15-25).
Akasha Anderson and Kendal Kemp were the pair that found the most success in the opening set on Sunday. The duo each gathered three kills as the team hit a respectable .241 in the first.
Fellow freshman Sydney Handel grabbed a couple of career firsts for the Lee's Summit, Missouri product. Handel secured her first dig as well as her first ace in the Orange and Blue.
Efficient numbers from Kentucky on their side of the net were too high to keep pace, though, as the Wildcats took the opening set.
Better first contact gave Auburn a shot of adrenaline in the second set. Anderson and Madison Scheer began to find a little more success on the outside. By the end of the frame, the two had 11 combined kills.
Kendal Kemp and Bel Zimmerman shared some wealth in the middle and outside, respectively. Kemp finished with five kills before the start of the third while Zimmerman collected four on seven swings with no errors.
A little more aggressive serving from the Tigers didn't hurt as well. Both Zoe Slaughter and Harmon forced Kentucky off the net which led to three Orange and Blue blocks. All of the sudden, Auburn was within three late in the set.
Once more, however, Kentucky discovered the right buttons to push to close out another set win and took the two-set advantage.
Auburn continued to make plays in spurts during the third set. Anderson would finish with a team-high 10 kills while Kemp ended the afternoon with seven.
In her first collegiate start at libero, Slaughter secured 11 digs, marking the seventh time in 2022 the freshman had compiled at least 10.
The balanced Kentucky attack proved too much to overcome in the end as Auburn dropped just its fifth match of the season.
MATCH NOTES
- Kendal Kemp (123 blocks) is now second in single-season program history
- Zoe Slaughter made her first collegiate start at libero
- Sydney Handel recorded the first ace of her career
- Handel's two digs were all a career-best
CROUCH'S COMMENTS
"I think Kentucky is a great team. There is a reason they are at the top of the conference and have been for many years. It's good for our young players to see what that level is like. They are a top-12, top-10 team and we haven't gone against that until we hit Florida and Kentucky this week.
We were able to score points at times on offense but slowing both of these teams down was difficult for us. We have some work to do in that area. That's not a surprise. The defense, especially blocking, takes time. I think our youth showed up in that area the last couple of outings but I don't think we had any trouble in terms of focus, serving, passing or even attacking. The block defense was tough and we have a ways to go. It just takes time."
UP NEXT
The Tigers will be back home on the Plains Saturday, Nov. 5 for the first of two versus Texas A&M.