Tigers Claw Back From Down 2-1
AUBURN, Ala. – Megan Weiskircher and Kristen Batt each posted double-doubles, but the Kentucky Wildcats could not close out the Auburn Tigers, losing 3-2 in a classic SEC battle at the Student Activities Center.
UK (4-15, 2-6 SEC) held a 2-1 advantage through three games, but struggled in the match’s fourth and fifth games, committing too many errors and allowing Auburn to steal the victory.
The win was Auburn’s first conference triumph at home this season. AU (12-9, 2-6 SEC) outexecuted the Cats down the stretch, committing only one error in the final game, in contrast to five by UK.
After UK took the opening point of the match, Auburn earned a sideout then ran off six consecutive points, prompting UK to call a timeout. The Cats took the first point following the timeout, but another spurt by AU widened the gap to 11-3. UK responded by winning six of the next seven points, cutting the AU lead to 12-8. However, that was as close as UK would get as the Tigers went on to take game one 15-9.
Kristen Batt led UK with six kills in the game, but four service errors committed by the Big Blue were too much to overcome.
UK sprinted out to an early 8-3 lead in game two, forcing the Tigers coaching staff to take a timeout. AU roared back, claiming the next six points and led 9-8. The teams then traded points before the Cats could forge a tie at 12. The momentum swung in UK’s favor following a kill by Megan Weiskircher off of a long rally, giving the Big Blue a 13-12 advantage. UK would never relinquish that lead, winning 15-12 and evening the match at one game apiece.
The Cats controlled play throughout most of the third game. After falling behind early 5-2, UK clawed back to tie the score at five. Kentucky would take six of the next seven points and an 11-6 advantage. AU would not get any closer than three points, and after a kill by Kristen Batt gave the Cats a 15-9 victory, Kentucky held a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Weiskircher dominated play in the third game posting nine kills and a .583 hitting percentage. Kristen Batt added four kills and April Barnhorst came alive tallying four kills and two block assists. As a team, UK hit at a .533 clip en route to recording 19 kills during the game.
Game four was highlighted by numerous spurts, as neither team could pull away from the other. The teams split the first eight points, before AU took the next four and jumped out to an 8-4 lead. UK regrouped to tie the score at 10, then scored the game’s next two points to claim a 12-10 advantage. However, UK would not score another point as the Tigers ran off the next five to win the game 15-12 and force a deciding fifth game.
The final game, which was played in rally scoring format, proved to be the most exciting. With the score knotted at four, the team traded the next eight points. AU then took seven of the next nine points to win the match.
UK was led by Megan Weiskircher and Kristen Batt. Both players managed double-doubles: Weiskircher with 20 kills and 13 digs, Batt with 23 kills and 11 digs. April Barnhorst added eight kills and Aleisha Craven and Brooke Dodson reached double-figures with 13 and 10 digs, respectively.
The Cats hit a .203 percentage for the match, including the match-high .533 clip they hit for in the third game.
Jennifer Gracen led a balanced AU attack with 14 kills and 11 digs.
