Auburn volleyball team falls at Alabama

For the second year in a row, the Tigers were not able to shut down the Tide in Tuscaloosa as Auburn fell 3-1 at Alabama last season after winning the first set.

“I thought we did really well in sets one and two, we just could not keep it going in the final two,” said head coach Wade Benson. “We have been working on going hard for a longer period in the match. We are still learning and it showed tonight.”

Senior Jessica Glover led Auburn in the match with 12 kills, hitting a team-best .321. She also posted six digs and two aces in the loss. Freshman Olympia Haney finished right behind her with 11 kills, four digs and two blocks. Alyssa Davis provided an error-free seven kills in the match, giving Auburn a boost off the bench.

“Alyssa Davis and Olympia Haney played really well tonight, especially considering they are a sophomore and a freshman playing in this kind of atmosphere,” said Benson.

Making her first career start as Auburn’s libero, junior Kaitlin Simon led the Tiger defense with nine digs, trailed by Glover and setter Sara Shanks with six each. Shanks also posted 38 assists in the match.

“We did not have our regular libero tonight and as the match went on, it showed,” said Benson. “But, I thought Kaitlin Simon did a great job for us, playing her first significant minutes of the season. It was great for her, being an Alabama native, playing at Alabama to have a match like she did.”

For Alabama, it was all junior Brooks Webster as she tallied 23 kills and 16 digs in the win. Libero Amy Pauly added 16 digs of her own while Calli Johnson posted a match-high six blocks.

The Tigers continue their first Southeastern Conference road trip on Sunday as Auburn travels to Mississippi State (5-8, 0-2 SEC) for a 1:30 p.m. match. Fans can follow the action with live stats at AuburnTigers.com and MStateAthletics.com.