NASHVILLE — Auburn volleyball lost its Southeastern Conference matchup on Friday night at Vanderbilt in straight sets. The Commodores, receiving votes in the most recent AVCA Coaches’ Poll, had 12 aces in the victory, defeating Auburn 25-14, 25-18, 25-20.
Auburn took an early lead, up 8-6 after a pair of Belle Patrick kills and multiple Commodore errors. Vanderbilt flipped the set with a four-point run to take a two-point lead of its own, then rode into the media timeout with a three-point lead after back-to-back kills by Rachel Ogunleye. The Commodores stormed out of the media timeout, finishing the set on a 10-2 run, with all of its points being earned off a kill or an ace.
Vanderbilt carried its momentum early in the second frame with a 3-0 lead, quickly turned away by three straight Auburn points. The Commodores retook a substantial lead with five consecutive points, forcing an Auburn timeout at 10-5. Auburn fought back to tie the set at 12-12, but the Commodores took a 15-13 lead into the media timeout. Three more Vanderbilt points extended the lead to five at 18-13. Vanderbilt held its lead through the rest of the set, winning the second frame 25-18.
The Commodores took an early 4-1 lead, later extending the lead to six just ahead of the media timeout, ultimately holding a 10-15 lead at the break. Vanderbilt and Auburn traded points following the media timeout, ultimately resulting in an Auburn timeout at 18-13 following a Commodore block. After a pair of Auburn points, Vanderbilt won six of eight points to serve for the match. A few Auburn blocks gave the Tigers a last hope, but Vanderbilt ultimately clinched the set 25-20.
TIGER STANDOUTS
- Anastasija Ivkovic led all qualified hitters with a .312 hitting percentage with seven kills and two errors on 16 attacks. Ivkovic has hit .300 or better in each of her last three matches.
- Emily Keiran’s 12 digs led Auburn. Keiran has had double-digit digs in six straight matches.
- Grace Havlicek had a team-best five blocks.
- Shanell Puetz has a season-high eight digs to go with her team-high 22 assists.
HEAD COACH BRENT CROUCH
- “The serve game killed us tonight. We lost 23 points on serves and only won seven. Vanderbilt didn’t hit or block or dig that much better than us. We’ve got to make changes quick because we cannot keep competing like we are in SEC play.”
UP NEXT
- Auburn finishes the weekend on Sunday at Missouri, set for a first serve against the Tigers at 2 p.m. CT in Columbia, Mo. Sunday’s match can be streamed on SEC Network+.
—War Eagle—