Auburn Volleyball Team (11-7, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) lost this weekend, but spirits remain high among players and coaches.
"We keep our minds on the games," said head coach Wade Benson. "The road trips also allow us to have conversations about everything."
Friday the first stop of the Tigers' trip was in Lexington, Ky., where they lost to the 10th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (16-1, 6-0 SEC), 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-11).
"Kentucky's crowd was loud and in our faces," said junior middle blocker Lauren Mellor. "It was a lot easier to warm up before the Tennessee game."
Junior outside hitter Morgan Johns and freshman outside hitter Sarah Bullock led Auburn's offense with a shared eight kills in the match against Kentucky.
"We came in strong and ready to play on the road," Johns said. "We were the underdogs, and we knew we had to play with more heart than our opponent."
For the Wildcats, outside hitter Sarah Mendoza and middle blocker Lauren Rapp combined for 24 kills.
Setter Sarah Rumely's 42 assists also contributed to Kentucky's victory over Auburn.
"We ran the middle attack better," Benson said. "We need to be more consistent, but we just made too many errors in the clutch."
Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner (100-41) received his 100th career win with this victory over Auburn.
Kentucky has now beat Auburn in the last three meetings making the Wildcats' overall record against Auburn 26-9.
Sunday the Tigers also lost on their next stop in Knoxville, Tenn., against the University of Tennessee Volunteers (12-5, 5-2 SEC), 3-0 (23-25, 23-25, 20-25).
This game was played under the theme "Dig for the Cure" in an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer in October. Fans wearing pink were allowed free admittance, according to tennesseevolleyball.net.
"I felt like the road trip was a good experience," said junior setter Sara Shanks. "It gave us time as a team to reflect and bond without the distractions of school."
Tennessee has also defeated Auburn in the last three meetings making the Vols' overall record against Auburn 21-12-1.
Tennessee remains undefeated at home this season.
"We came out well against Tennessee," Benson said. "Being a young team, we need to learn to maintain our focus and move forward after these losses."
Mellor led the team, tying a career-high 11 kills and six digs. Shanks also got her first double-double of the season, with four assists and 10 digs.
"Our errors killed us," Mellor said. "We need to play more solid with confidence and work on the simple aspects of the game."
For the Volunteers, outside hitter Kayla Jeter had 12 kills and outside hitter Nikki Fowler had 10 kills and 10 digs.
Middle back Kylie Marshall and libero Chloe Goldman also both had 14 digs a piece.
Goldman is one dig away from Tennessee's all-time record, according to tennesseevolleyball.net.
Auburn Volleyball Team faces the Florida Gators in its next match at home Friday at 6 p.m.
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