The Tigers traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, on Friday Oct. 13 to face off against No. 10 Tennessee, looking to extend its three-game winning streak but fell to the Lady Volunteers 3-1.
The Tigers started the game off taking a 10-7 lead after Kendal Kemp and the front row had four blocks. Tennessee then had a big serving run, hitting eight straight points.
The first set proceeded to go back and forth, finishing with Tennessee winning 25-18.
At the start of the second set, Tennessee took a 4-0 lead, but then junior Paige Thibault led the Tigers on an 8-1 run midway through the second set. The Tigers proceeded to get seven kills through the set, tying the game up at 1-1 with a 25-21 win in set two.
In set three the Tigers went back and forth. The Tigers front line combined for eight kills in the set. Nearing the end, the set was tied at 21. However, the Lady Volunteers scored four unanswered points, taking set two and the lead.
Down 2-1, Auburn started the first set down 9-2, with a serving run from Tennessee, however, the Tigers then countered going on a 5-1 stretch to close the gap.
Even with the small comeback, the Tigers couldn't overcome the Lady Volunteers lead as they fell 3-1.
Key players for the Tigers included Kemp who finished the game with nine blocks and 9 kills.
Along with Kemp, Thibault led the Tigers on an 8-1 serving run.
Serving played a big role in the game at mentioned by Auburn head coach Brent Crouch.
“When we went on good runs like at the end of the fourth, we were serving tough," Crouch said. "We’ve got to make sure that we’re learning how to do that on the road against really good teams because that’s the key for us to win.”
Madison Scheer also showed her value to the team with 11 kills, six blocks and five digs.
Along with the front line, the Tigers back row had a busy game with Jackie Barrett and Sarah Morton’s double-digit kills.
Crouch voiced his displeasure with the teams performance stating, “I thought it was just an inconsistent performance on our side. We had times when we were playing really well, and we were beating them. And then there were times where we just couldn’t put things together.”
This loss puts the Tigers at 14-4 and 4-3 in conference play while the win moves Tennessee to 16-1 and 7-0 in conference play.
This ends the Tigers three-game winning streak which featured victories over Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.
This gives Tennessee its 11th straight win after falling early in the season to No. 1 Wisconsin.
The Tigers continue SEC play with a match against Missouri on Friday Oct. 20th at Neville Arena. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
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Jack Earnhardt is a sports writer from Birmingham, Alabama, majoring in building science. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
