The Kentucky Wildcats proved, once agin, on Sunday that they were more than Auburn could handle. The Tigers lost 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-15) to Kentucky in their third loss of the week.
“I think Kentucky is a great team. There is a reason they are at the top of the conference and have been for many years,” said head coach Brent Crouch. “It’s good for our young players to see what that level is like. They are a top-12, top-10 team and we haven’t gone against that until we hit Florida and Kentucky this week.”
One small success was Kendal Kemp, whose 123 blocks sit as second in single-season program history. The Tigers (18-5, 7-5) find themselves at fifth in the SEC after the loss, tied with LSU. Kentucky remains in second place, a single win behind top-ranked Florida.
The issue for the Tigers all weekend was the ability of the Wildcats to go on long scoring runs. Crouch could help absolve them by calling timeouts, but Auburn had no true answer for the scoring power of Kentucky.
Auburn was able to find most of its success in the second set, with big performances from both Akasha Anderson and Madison Scheer. At the end of that frame, the duo had added 11 kills to the Tiger total.
“We were able to score points at times on offense but slowing both of these teams down was difficult for us. We have some work to do in that area. That’s not a surprise. The defense, especially blocking, takes time,” Crouch said. “I think our youth showed up in that area the last couple of outings but I don’t think we had any trouble in terms of focus, serving, passing or even attacking. The block defense was tough and we have a ways to go. It just takes time.”
Sophomore setter Emma Grome was the key for the Wildcats, with 38 assists, two aces, two blocks and eight digs throughout the match. In addition, she helped her team to a .456 hitting percentage that is a conference best for Kentucky this season.
By the end of the second set, Kemp had racked up five kills in the middle, added to Bel Zimmerman’s four, which she collected in seven swings with no errors.
Freshman Zoe Slaughter, in her first collegiate libero start, and junior Chelsey Harmon’s serving was enough to back the Wildcats off the net, allowing for three Auburn blocks to pull within three. That effort was not enough and Kentucky was able to win the set.
By set three, the Tigers faltered from their strong performance in the second. Kentucky was able to race off to a 9-4 lead, which later turned into a 17-7 lead that forced an Auburn timeout. Just eight more points, and the Wildcats finished the weekend without dropping a set.
Slaughter was able to secure 11 digs throughout the match, the seventh time in 2022 she has finished with at least 10. Freshman Sydney Handel recorded a few first for her Auburn career, recording her first dig and first ace in the meet.
At the end of the meet, Anderson held the team’s highest number of kills, with 10. Kemp’s afternoon total was seven.
Up next, the Tigers return home to Neville Arena for a pair of matches against Texas A&M. The first will be Saturday, Nov. 5 as Auburn creeps closer to the end of its regular season.
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Callie Stanford, junior in communications, is the sports editor at the Auburn Plainsman. Currently a junior, she has been with The Plainsman since January 2021.
Twitter: @Stanford1Callie
