No. 24 Auburn Comes Back to Beat Bulldogs in Five Sets Friday

Friday, October 27

Athens, Ga.

7 p.m.

University of Georgia

13-8,4-5SEC

Auburn

16-5,6-4SEC

Auburn

Georgia

No. 24 Auburn Comes Back to Beat Bulldogs in Five Sets Friday

October 27, 2023 | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia volleyball team went up two sets to none in Friday's match against No. 24 Auburn but fell in five sets to the Tigers at Stegeman coliseum (25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 18-25, 11-15).

Georgia's three-match win streak is snapped as the team is now 13-8 on the season and 4-5 in SEC play.

Three Bulldogs tipped the double-digit kill mark led by Sophie Fischer's 16. Kacie Evans followed with 13 while Erica Staunton tallied 12.

A total of four Georgia players tallied 10-plus digs, led by 15 from libero Bailey Cox. Estelle Haugen put up 14 and Mallory Downing added 11. Evans tallied her eighth double-double with 10 digs to complement her 13 kills.

Georgia's 11 service aces were a season high. Fischer led the team at the service line with three while Ana Julia Bleeker, Clara Brower, and Haugen all had two.

Down 7-4 in the first, a 5-0 run including four-straight kills from Staunton, Krista Blakely, and Fischer gave the Bulldogs a 9-7 lead. After a 3-0 Auburn (16-5, 6-4) run, Georgia responded with another four-point run to go ahead 13-10. The Bulldogs led 15-12 at the first set media timeout. With Georgia in front 21-17, Auburn used three-straight to cut the Dogs' lead to one, 21-20. The Bulldogs held on to win the opening set 25-22. Fischer tallied seven kills in the opener.

An early 5-0 run gave Georgia a quick 8-4 lead in the second set. Auburn worked to slow the Dogs, eventually tying the set t 13. A Staunton kill and a Haugen ace, her second of the set, gave Georgia a 15-13 advantage at the second set media timeout. Georgia kept the 5-1 run alive after the break, widening the lead to 18-14. Ahead 21-18, Georgia finished the second set on a 4-0 run including two aces by Bleeker, 25-18.

The Bulldogs and Tigers went toe-to-toe in the third set as it featured 16 ties and the lead changed eight times. Headed down the stretch, Georgia used a 3-0 run to go up 21-19. The Tigers responded with three-straight to retake a 22-21 lead. Tied at 22, back-to-back Georgia errors gave Auburn set point. Evans fended off one set point, but the Tigers held on to win the set 25-23, staying alive in the match.

After the back-and-forth battle in set three, Auburn went ahead early in the fourth, 9-5, prompting a Georgia timeout. Three-straight by Auburn after the timeout lengthened the lead to 12-5, exhausting both Georgia timeouts. Four-straight by Georgia cut the lead to 12-9. Auburn worked to widen its lead back to seven, 19-12. Auburn kept its foot on the gas, drawing set point at 24-15. Two Staunton kills and a Cox ace kept the set alive, 24-17, forcing an Auburn timeout. Auburn held on to win the set 25-18, forcing a fifth set.

Georgia took an early timeout, down 5-2 early in the fifth set. A 3-0 Georgia run tied the set at 7. Auburn retook the lead 9-7, prompting Georgia's final timeout. The Bulldogs would cut the lead to 13-11, but the momentum was too much as Auburn won the set 15-11 and the match.

The Bulldogs host Mississippi State Sunday at Stegeman Coliseum Sunday afternoon. First serve between the Bulldogs and Bulldogs is set for 2 p.m. Admission is free.

Head Coach Tom Black
On Sophie Fischer's performance…
"Sophie's a great player. She's always going to have a huge impact on the game."

On the thought process heading into Sunday's game versus Mississippi State…
"We've just got to wipe this off and play better. We've got another tough SEC opponent on Sunday."