COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the final contest of the 2014 D.C. Koehl Classic, the FGCU volleyball team fell to Auburn University 3-1 Sunday afternoon at St. John Arena. The Eagles were narrowly edged in set one (30-28) but responded with a 25-17 set two victory. The Tigers pulled out wins in the final two sets (25-18, 25-18) to earn the match victory and push the Eagles' record to 2-4 on the season. Auburn improved to 3-3 with the win.
"There were several shortcomings for the team this weekend, but overall I'm pleased with our progress," said head coach
Matt Botsford after finishing the weekend with a record of 1-2. "We have continued to make strides in our play, while facing extremely strong competition and I am confident that we will continue to do so."
The Eagles' offense was once again led by junior transfer
Eleonora Kazarian (Tabilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida). Kazarian produced 15 kills through the four-set bout with a team-high attack percentage of .290. Kazarian also recorded 13 digs for her first double-double of the season and added four blocks.
Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) added 11 kills and 12 digs for FGCU for her third double-double performance as an Eagle. Senior
Jessica Barnes (Winter Haven, Fla./Haines City High School) also added double-figures on successful attacks with 10 kills.
Gigi Meyer (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz High School) facilitated the offensive effort by assisting on 38 of the team's kills.
Defensively, senior
Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River High School) paced the team with seven blocks, while classmate
Whitney Masters (Muncie, Ind./Waphani High School) led the Green and Blue with 17 digs.
As a unit, the Eagles maintained an attack percentage of .132, compared to Auburn's .153. Both squads produced 11 total blocks. Auburn saw four double-digit kill producers and totaled 51 team kills compared to FGCU's 47.
The matchup began with a tight set one, as the teams battled to 14 tie scores and six lead changes in the extra-point battle. Auburn and FGCU tied at four of the first six points before the Eagles used a series of Auburn errors to take a slight lead at 11-7. The Green and Blue maintained the lead and extended it to a set-high five points at 14-9 but saw as the Tigers responded with a 6-1 run to tie the set at 15.
Neither team took more than a two-point lead through the end of the set as the teams used strong attacking to test each other. After tying at almost every point between 15 and 28, the Tigers used an opposite-side kill and an FGCU error to take set one, 30-28.
The Eagles responded to the close loss with strong play in the second set. The team took a quick 10-5 lead with help from Auburn attack errors. Despite letting the Tigers bring the score within three points, the Eagles never relinquished the lead and ultimately took the set, 25-17.
The set-two victory was aided by a dismal Auburn attack percentage of -.108 and nine FGCU kills.
The Tigers entered set three with a stronger attack and blocking game and took a 7-4 lead by capitalizing on FGCU errors. After a timeout, FGCU diminished the deficit briefly but let the Tigers maintain the advantage throughout the set. With four-straight points to end the set, the Tigers took the win at 25-18 and regained control of the match at 2-1.
With the match on the line for the Eagles, the team started set four by battling the Tigers for points. The teams again traded rallies to open the set and tied at 6-6 before Auburn reclaimed the momentum of the match. Auburn went ahead 10-7 and never allowed the Eagles to cut the deficit to fewer than two points.
Despite a match-high attack percentage of .154, FGCU ultimately fell 25-18 to drop the four-set match.
Following the conclusion of the D.C. Koehl Classic, Kazarian was named to the All-Tournament Team.
UP NEXTThe Eagles will travel to Arlington, Texas next weekend for the UT-Arlington Hilton Maverick Invitational. The team will face Houston Baptist, UT-Arlington and Texas Southern in the two-day event.
