After fighting back from two sets behind on Saturday, Auburn could not get a second win over Missouri, finding itself in the loss column for just the second time this season after a four-set loss on Sunday.
“I thought it was going to be a real tough match today and it was, said head coach Brent Crouch. “Hats off to them, they played great. We just did not have an answer for their two outsides.”
Auburn (17-2, 6-2 SEC) dominated the first set, winning 25-15 behind nine kills by Akasha Anderson, but could not sustain that momentum and dropped the following three sets, losing 25-21 in the second and 25-15 in the third set before an epic fourth-set battle.
In the fourth set, Auburn came from behind, overcoming four Missouri match points to send the set to extra points. Ultimately, Auburn fell short in its battle, losing the set 29-27 and the match 3-1.
Once again, Auburn was led by Anderson, who, with 22 kills, topped the 20-kill mark for the third consecutive match. Anderson has recorded 281 kills this season, an average of 3.75 kills per set for fifth-best in the SEC. Anderson had a career-high four service aces and led all players with 49 attacks.
Kendal Kemp tied a career-high with 10 kills during the game and was second on the team with 11.5 points, only behind Anderson’s 26.5 total points.
Jackie Barrett led all players with 46 assists, while Sarah Morton had 14 digs - the 17th time in 19 games that Morton has reached double-figures in digs.
The loss concluded a grueling weekend of volleyball in Columbia in which Missouri (8-9, 1-6 SEC) gave Auburn all it could handle for nine sets.
During both matches, Missouri had the two highest team hit percentages allowed by Auburn all season. After hitting .351 on Saturday, Missouri hit .405 on Sunday.
“They had great matches, yesterday and today,” Crouch said.
Auburn, which remains one of only three SEC teams with two or fewer conference losses, will return home on Friday for a single match against Tennessee. The match will begin from Neville Arena at 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
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Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
