Virginia Drops Showdown At The Net Match To Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. – The Virginia volleyball team (4-2) fell in three sets (17-25, 16-25, 21-25) to Auburn (5-1) on Tuesday night (Sept. 9) at Neville Arena as part of the Showdown at the Net.

Outside hitter Lauryn Bowie led the Cavaliers with nine kills in the ACC-SEC Challenge match, while Jasmine Robinson recorded a team-best three blocks. Hannah Scott paced all Virginia defenders with eight digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Set 1: Auburn 25, Virginia 17

The opening set saw the homestanding Tigers jump out to an 8-2 advantage before a Bowie kill ended the run. UVA cut the Auburn lead down to four at 17-13 when Becca Wight landed an attack. Auburn closed out the set on a 6-1 run.

 Set 2: Auburn 25, Virginia 16

In the middle set, Virginia answered by tallying three of the first four points before the two squads settled into a back-and-forth affair. The second game featured nine times and five lead changes. After UVA grabbed a 13-12 lead on a block from Jasmine Robinson and Bowie, Auburn strung together a 9-0 run and took the set on a service ace.

 Set 3: Auburn 25, Virginia 21

Game no. 3 was the most competitive of the night as the two teams sparred to 12 ties in the set. A Kadynce Boothe service ace gave the Cavaliers the lead at 16-14 prior to a 4-0 Auburn run that put the Tigers out front for good. Bowie’s ninth and final kill of the match came at match point before Auburn’s Liz Markovska gave the Tigers a victory with a kill.

 MATCH NOTES

• The Cavaliers fall to 1-4 all-time against Auburn.
• Auburn’s .333 hitting percentage and 10 blocks marked the highest by a UVA opponent this season.
• Kate Dean collected four kills during the match to give the senior 502 kills in her career.

UP NEXT

Virginia will return to Grounds on Friday (Sept. 12) to host Michigan in a pair of matches. Friday’s contest is slated for a 6 p.m. first serve and will be streamed on ACCNX, while Saturday’s (Sept. 13) weekend finale will start at 11 a.m. at the Aquatic & Fitness Center.