The Auburn volleyball team opened their 43rd season over the weekend at the George Washington Invitational in Washington D.C., posting two wins out of three matches.
The Tigers played two matches on Friday, first defeating North Dakota and then taking a loss to George Washington, the tournament host. They wrapped up the two-day tournament action Saturday against Arkansas State at the Charles E. Smith Center.
The Tigers' first match Friday was a 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-19, 25-22) victory over North Dakota.
Freshman Alexa Filley, 2013-14 Gatorade National Player of the Year, had a double-double with 43 assists, the most by an Auburn setter in a match since 2011, and 13 digs.
Thirteen of the Tigers' kills came from freshman Courtney Crable, Kentucky's Miss Volleyball and a First-Team Under Armour All-American in 2013. Sophomore Emily Klitzke and freshman Macy Reece had 11 kills each, while Stephanie Campbell had 10. Auburn had 13 blocks in the match.
The Tigers took their first loss of the season in their second match Friday against George Washington. The tournament hosts beat Auburn 3-0 (13-25, 18-25, 20-25). Auburn was held to 33 kills, hitting .082 with 24 errors against the Colonials.
Offensively, redshirt freshman Kristel Moor led the way with seven kills on 13 attempts in her first match for the Tigers on Friday night. Crable and Klitzke contributed with six kills apiece. Junior Mary Hannah Arrington had a team-high 18 digs, while Filley had 28 assists at the setter position.
The Tigers recorded a weekend-best 43 kills on Saturday to beat Arkansas State 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-16) in their concluding match.
Crable led the team with 13 kills and 14 points, while sophomore Stephanie Campbell hit a team-high .471 and converted 8-of-17 attempts. Freshman Macy Reece added nine kills in her first collegiate debut. Auburn finished 39-of-58 (75%) in sideouts.
Sophomore Taylor Schill had a career-high 14 digs in the final match of the two-day tournament, while Filley recorded another double-double, posting 34 assists and 10 digs. Filley also had a pair of aces in Saturday's win to help the Tigers finish 2-1 at the George Washington Invitational.
Auburn will take its talent to Columbus, Ohio for the Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic next weekend, where they will compete with host Ohio State, Southern Illinois and Florida Gulf Coast. The three-day tournament will be the Tiger's final non-conference competition.
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