AUBURN, Ala. — Vanderbilt volleyball middle Jackie Moore had a career night with 19 kills and a hitting efficiency of .457 on Friday as the Commodores battled through four sets but ultimately came up short, falling 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 18-25, 22-25) at RV Auburn.
Vanderbilt (5-9, 1-4 SEC) recorded 60 kills, the most vs. an SEC opponent this season. Three Dores registered double-digit kills, including Moore, Reese Animashaun with 12 and Kamryn Chaney with 15. Isabella Bareford led the Commodore offense to a .263 hitting efficiency, contributing 41 assists and 14 digs for her third double-double of the season.
Bareford was one of four Vandy student-athletes with 10-plus digs. Hailee Mack registered a team-high 15 digs, and Elli Kinney and Mia Soerensen each recorded 10. Vanderbilt recorded six team blocks, led by Kayla Dunlap, Moore and Soerensen with three each.
Auburn (13-3, 4-1 SEC) had three players record double-digit kills. Liz Markovska led the way with 14, Lauren Dreves recorded 10, and Bel Zimmerman tallied 11 kills, while hitting at a .579 clip. Defensively, Alexis Dacosta paced the Tigers with 25 digs. Kalei Edson contributed 16 digs. Kate Mansfield recorded a team-high six blocks, as the Tigers posted eight stops as a team.
Vandy took a decisive win in set 1, which it never trailed, hitting .400 as a team and limiting Auburn to zero blocks. It was the first set the Tigers had dropped at Neville Arena all season.
Auburn responded with a win of its own in set 2. After tying the score 10 all, the Tigers pulled away to lead by as many as five points. Vandy earned four unanswered points to pull the Commodores within one. However, Auburn took advantage of several Vanderbilt errors to win the set, 25-23.
The Tigers’ momentum carried into the third set, which they won, 25-18. Both teams recorded their lowest hitting percentages of the match in the third set.
Vanderbilt tried to hang on and force a fifth set, but the Commodores couldn’t catch the Tigers. Despite Vandy keeping the score tight throughout, Auburn won the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-1.
The Commodores head to the Swamp where they will face RV Florida on Sunday at noon CT at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.
