The Tigers got a much-needed win tonight in Auburn Arena taking down the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. What started as a dominating performance by Auburn quickly turned into a fight down to the final whistle. Auburn won the first set 25-16 and seemed to be ready to coast to a sweep.
The second set told a different story, it was back and fourth and much more competitive, but Auburn was able to pull away late and walk into the intermission with a 25-23 win and 2-0 advantage.
Coming out of the break it looked like a completely new South Carolina team had taken the floor. The team was up 19-12 on Auburn at one point before the Tigers began their ultimately unsuccessful run to pull off the sweep. The Gamecocks won the third set 25-21 and headed into the fourth set with all the momentum.
In the fourth set, the Gamecocks jumped out to a 17-11 lead, but the Tigers staged a huge rally and won the set 25-23.
“We needed this win. We have gone through a couple of really tough games, and I thought we have been fighting hard lately and we just haven’t been able to come out on top," said coach Rick Nold.
Courtney Crable and Brenna McIlroy each notched 16 kills and were just two of the four Tigers to record double-digit kills. Emily Klitzke tallied 13 while Breanna Barksdale had 10. Offensive stand out Alexa Filley had 49 assists and five kills of her own.
Defensively, Jesse Earl continued to prove herself as she recorded 19 digs. The second-closest player on the Auburn roster was Alyssa Ivey with 16 digs.
The Tigers have a big match up on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in Auburn Arena against the ranked Florida Gators. The Tigers will be out for revenge as the last time these teams played each other Auburn was swept.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
