September 2, 2006

Box Score

VT 2, Auburn 3

 

Auburn, Ala. - The Hokies dropped their second match of the Auburn/Mizuno Challenge to host Auburn in five games (28-30, 30-26, 30-25, 27-30, 7-15) Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Sarah MuÒoz notched 18 kills to lead the Hokies' attack. Junior Jen Albrecht followed with 13 kills, while senior Katie Esbrook and freshman Taylor Parrish rounded out the double-digit kills with 10 each.

Freshman Michelle Lang dished out 40 assists and landed four aces. She landed six kills on 10 attempts, with no errors, to lead the Hokies with a .600 hitting percentage.

Junior Amanda Cloyd and senior Kendra Sytsma led the defensive efforts with 14 and 12 digs, respectively. Freshman Rachel Fahlenkamp led the charge at the net with 7 blocks.

For the Tigers, Rachel Shanks posted a double-double with 25 kills and 19 digs, to lead both categories. Jessica Glover posted a double-double of her own with 18 kills and 17 digs. Whitney Jacob, 15 kills, and Jelena Sekulic, 13 kills, both posted double-digit kills in the win.

In total, there were 29 tie scores and 12 lead changes in the match. The Hokies forced 12 of the tied scores in the first game, including a final tie at 28, before Auburn received kills by Shanks and Glover to seal the win.

Tech never trailed in Game 2, as they opened on a 4-0 run. The Hokies' defense was strong through the second game, as they held the Tigers offense to a -.022 attack percentage, and came back to tie the series at 1-1.

The Hokies' attack came out strong in Game 3 as they knocked down 20 kills for a .381 hitting percentage. Auburn then turned it around to land 23 kills in Game 4 to force a fifth game.

Auburn's offense led the final game with a .533 hitting percentage, giving them the match win.

Tech will round out the tournament tonight at 7 p.m. with a match against Arizona State.