MOBILE, Ala. - South Alabama (7-3) battled No. 24 Auburn (8-1) through five sets, with the Tigers taking sets one, four, and five.
The Jags pressed early, with neither team pulling free. Aces by Maddie Soboleski and Hannah Maddux later in the set helped to force the set past 25 points. The Tigers took set 1, 27-25.
Set two stayed even throughout most of the frame. In a 4-0 run, an Anna Loberg ace was stacked onto a Niki Capizzi kill to make a 15-12 lead. Later, with the Jags down 23-22, Maddie Soboleski signaled the beginning of the end with a kill. Junior Paige Lynn sent a serve that left the defense frozen for an ace, and the Jags scored the second set off an attacking error from Auburn.
The third set saw South up early, which forced an Auburn timeout with the Jaguars leading, 7-3. South held on to the early lead, not allowing the Tigers within two points the rest of the set. Kailey Keeble put down an ace herself and a pair of Soboleski kills for points 22 and 23 led the way for a surge to a 25-19 set for the Jags.
USA kept rolling in the fourth, piling on a 7-1 lead early, but Auburn didn't go away this time. A 6-0 run, built up by three aces, put the Tigers down only 12-11. With South reeling, the Tigers leapt into another run, 7-1, after a mistimed serve to put them in the lead 17-14. The Jags chipped back thanks to some errors on Auburn, but a service ace on the set point sent the match into a fifth frame, 25-23.
Auburn used the momentum built up to jump ahead in the shortened set. The teams switched sides after a pair of aces from Auburn at a score of 8-3. A block by Capizzi and Keeble put some wind back in the sail for South, including two kills from Maddux, but Auburn finalized the match at 15-8.
Four Jaguars put down double-digit kills, Abyanna Cannon (10), Maddux (13), Soboleski (11), and Capizzi (11). Kailey Keeble put up a double-double, with 39 assists and 21 digs. Lillie Simons took part in four of South's seven blocks on the night. The Jaguars put up a season high 10 aces, with Loberg and Maddux making three each.
QUOTES
Coach Ortiz: "I like how my team came out and fought. Auburn was the better team tonight, but it was a solid match, and could've gone either way. It was their night tonight."
NOTES
- This marks the ninth match that South has held their opponent to sub-.200 hitting.
- The match's 85 digs is the team's season high by 10.
- Keeble's double-double puts her 2nd all-time in career double-doubles for South Alabama.
UP NEXT
South will host Samford at 6 p.m. on Sept. 15 in continuation of the Alabama Showdown.
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