The Tigers took on the 24th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats on Friday night. Although Auburn did not leave Lexington with the win, they pushed a good Kentucky team to the limit. For the thirteenth time this season, Auburn played the full five sets.
The defense stepped up Friday, recording 81 digs and a season-high 14 blocks. Auburn held the Kentucky hitters to .064 hitting percentage in the first set. Junior Breanna Barksdale tied her season-high with seven blocks, while sophomore Alexa Filley tallied a career-high six blocks. Sophomore libero Jesse Earl added 22 digs to her season total, giving her an Auburn single-season record of 516 digs. Another sophomore, Kelly Stewart, proved her value defensively, as she also recorded 22 digs.
Brenna McIlroy led the Tigers on offense with 15 kills. McIlroy also contributed defensively with 11 digs, making this game her 11th double-double of the year. Junior Emily Klitzke had 11 kills, while junior Stephanie Campbell and sophomore Courtney Crable each had eight kills. Along with her six blocks, Filley totaled 42 assists on the evening.
Auburn came out hot and won the first set, 25-21, behind big points from Klitzke and McIlroy. The Tigers lost the next set, only to come out of the intermission on fire. They were able to steal the third set with a score of 25-21. Auburn fought valiantly in the fifth and final set but lost, 15-13.
This game closes out the 2015 regular season for the Tigers. Auburn finishes with a record of 18-12, 10-8 in SEC play, good for sixth in the SEC.
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