Despite an efficient performance from opposite hitter Liz Reich, the Tigers could not overcome Georgia's offense, losing 3-0 on Friday.
In the first set, the game was neck and neck until Georgia went on a 6-0 run thanks to several Auburn attack errors. While the Bulldogs finished the set errorless, Auburn tallied five of them. Despite putting up an impressive .273 hit percentage in the set, it wasn't enough to overcome an efficient Bulldog offense, who finished with a .519 hit percentage in the set.
In the second set, Auburn went back to its most reliable duo, Rebekah Rath and Reich. The pair combined for 12 kills in the set. However, two more 6-0 runs from the Bulldogs put them out of reach, as they won the set easily by seven points.
In the third set, Auburn's offense broke down. The Tigers finished with 11 errors and a .051 hit percentage. However, timely attacks from Reich, Rath, and Tatum Shipes, along with some costly service errors from Georgia, kept the set close. In the end, Georgia's eight blocks stole the show, as it barely edged Auburn for the sweep.
Rath once again led the team in kills with 16, however Reich was much more efficient, with a .409 hit percentage on 22 attempts. Shipes added five kills on the night, as well as three blocks. She is now only three blocks away from the school single-season record.
The Tigers will return home on Friday, Oct. 29 to play LSU. That game is set to start at 6 p.m. CST.
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Dylan Fox, Junior in Civil Site Design Engineering, joined The Plainsman as a sports writer in Spring 2020. From Geneva, IL.
