Auburn swept by Kentucky for second straight day

Auburn volleyball fell in straight sets to Kentucky on Sunday afternoon in its home finale. 

The Tigers lost their fourth straight game to drop to 13-14 (5-12) with just one more game left on the schedule. 

Auburn competed well in the first set, but the next two sets were dominated by Kentucky. The game ended with a score of 25-21, 25-8 and 25-12. 

Auburn seemed pretty unfazed in the first set after getting swept just one day prior – answering every Kentucky point with one of its own. Kentucky errors kept Auburn in the first set but Auburn never took advantage of the mistakes. The attacking forces of Kentucky were too much, as the Wildcats had five players in the first set finish with three or more kills – including Madi Skinner, who had seven. 

Auburn jumped out to a 3-0 lead to begin the second set but Kentucky quickly woke up, as Auburn began to make some mistakes. The Wildcats' first-set errors were diminished and they took control of the second set. Led by Skinner and Alli Stumler, Kentucky went on a 14-0 run to grasp a 16-point lead at one point and quickly ended the second set with a 25-8 win. 

Kentucky continued to have problems serving the ball in the third set, but it did not matter, as Auburn could not seem to return any attack from the Wildcats. The Kentucky attack only had two attacking errors after the first set. It was a clinical performance at the net, and Auburn had no answer for it. The Wildcats finished with a .506 hitting percentage. 

Rebekah Rath, who set the record for most kills in a single season at Auburn's last game, led the Tigers with 12 kills while Liz Reich had six of her own. 

Jackie Barrett had 21 assists and four digs while Bella Rosenthall had 10 digs. 

Auburn will face Mississippi State Friday at 4 p.m. CST in Starkville as it looks to get back to a .500 record. The Bulldogs hold a 23-5 (14-2) record and ride an 11-game winning streak.