Senior Jessica Glover: leaps to block an Ole Miss kill. Glover leads the team with 3.12 kills per game for the Tigers. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR
Fans packed in the Student Activities Center Friday to watch the Auburn Volleyball team play Arkansas in its SEC opener.
The Tigers got off to a bad start in game one, tallying only eight kills for an attacking percentage of -0.57. The Razorbacks picked up a 22-25 win to jump to an early 1-0 lead in the series.
Game two was a chance at redemption for Auburn. The Tigers’ squad gathered 18 kills and only two errors, for a total attack percentage of .615. The improved offensive numbers equaled a 25-19 win, which tied the series 1-1.
Auburn kept its momentum going into game three. Jonelle Wallace scored two kills to put the Tigers up 2-0 early. Auburn led most of the game, pushing its lead to as much as 18-10.
A late Arkansas rally allowed the Razorbacks to put more points on the board.
Still, it wasn’t enough to squash the Tigers, and Auburn took game three, 25-17.
Arkansas began to push back during game four. The Tigers capitalized off two Razorback errors to jump ahead 2-0. Arkansas battled to keep the score tight, eventually locking the game up at 10-10.
From there, it looked as if Auburn was going to take game four. The Tigers found themselves still in the lead at 14-11 and 16-13.
The Razorbacks, however, gained control of the scoreboard 18-17 after an Auburn service error. The Tigers were unable to seal the deal and lost game four, 25-23.
The two teams went into game five tied 2-2 for the series.
Auburn again jumped out in front early in game five. Despite earning more kills and a higher kill percentage, the Tigers fell 15-8 to lose the series.
Jessica Glover led the Tigers with 21 kills, six blocks and 16 digs. Liz Crouch earned 14 digs. The Tigers hit the court again on Sunday against Ole Miss. The Rebels started the match with a kill to grab a 1-0 lead.
The Tigers, however, started rallying, and eventually earned themselves a comfortable 17-13 lead.
The Rebels managed to overcome the lead to tie the game. At game point 25-24, Auburn managed to stay alive with a kill by Jessica Glover.
The Rebels put up back to back kills to take the game 27-25.
Auburn trailed early in the second set after Ole Miss tallied a quick three points for a 3-0 lead. The Tigers responded with some points of their own to tie the game 10-10.
Auburn stayed on the offensive, eventually earning a 19-15 lead. Again, however, the Tigers were unable to seal the deal. The Rebels won 25-23.
Game three was the nail in the coffin for the Auburn squad. The Tigers trailed the entire game, only enjoying a tie game once at 20-20.
The 16 Auburn kills were not enough to outscore Ole Miss. The Rebels won 25-21 to end the series 3-0.
Glover said the focus of the Auburn team practices have been on finishing games stronger.
“We are working on finishing games,” Glover said. “We need to work on individual skills that are really hurting us.”
Chanelle Clark said the game was not a total loss.
“Although we didn’t win, we came together closer as a team and improved in different aspects,” Clark said.
Clark echoed Glover, drawing further attention to the Tigers’ inability to follow through during a match.
“I think we need to work more on finishing games,” Clark said. “We have them in the beginning we just lose it somewhere before the end.”
Coach Wade Benson said Friday night’s matchup was an emotional upset.
“We were up two games to one,” Benson said. “We just let the momentum shift and went back to the way we used to respond to adversity.”
Benson said difficulty closing games has historically been a problem for Auburn volleyball.
“If you look at years past, you can see we have had problems with it,” Benson said. “Any of the players that were here last year don’t know how to close, or they would have done it last year.”
