Auburn Volleyball travelled to Gainesville, Fla. on Friday night to take on the Florida Gators in an SEC Showdown. Despite a game that was close at many points, the Tigers couldn’t keep pace and fell to the Gators 3-1.
The Gators took a slight lead in the first set due to some solid digs and service errors by Auburn, as well as by running a well executed 6-2 offense and putting Auburn in a challenging position early on.
Kate Mansfield had a nice kill to tighten up the score in the first set, as well as some service errors and long kill attempts by the Gators. Bel Zimmerman added two kills to make it 14-24. However, the Gators got back in control in time to close out the set, which ended 25-18 on an Auburn service error.
Lauren Dreves opened up with a kill early in the first point of the second set, setting the tone. A solid back row attack by Liz Markovska and an ace by Bella Humphrey made it a 5-0 lead in the second set, and Alexis Decosta set up Dreves with another kill to make it 6-2. From that point the set was all Auburn, as the Tigers pulled away to secure a 25-17 set win and tie the match.
In a tight third set with many back-and-forth points between the two squads, the Gators ramped it up with some aggressive serves and solid blocks to gain a slight lead. Eden Bower helped gain some momentum back, keeping Auburn within touching distance. It wouldn’t be enough though, as Florida pulled away to win the set 25-18, leading the match 2-1.
The last set was a battle, requiring multiple extra points to decide a winner. Florida gained a three-point lead early on, but the Tigers didn't let them get too far away through the rest of the set. Markovska recorded a kill to tie the set at 21-21, and the game would forge three more ties until an official review confirmed Florida’s 27th point of the set, giving the Gators both the game and match victory.
Dreves led the way for the Tigers with 19 kills, and Markovska joined her in double figures with 13. Shanelle Puetz led the team in assists with 21, and Mansfield led in blocks with 6, continuing her outstanding year at the net.
Auburn Volleyball will hit the road again against Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. in the Gillom Athletics Performance Center at 2:00 pm CDT.
