CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College volleyball team fell in a tightly contested, five-set, Gulf South Conference affair to Auburn University at Montgomery. MC moves to 11-10 on the season and 9-4 inside the conference. AUM improved to 7-15 and 4-9 in the conference.
 
In the setback, senior Lydia Paulette reset the program's single-match kill record with 25. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native held the previous mark with 24 kills, which she set last season and matched earlier in the month at the University of Montevallo. She has 1,254 winners in her career.
 
The Blue and Gold also picked career-high efforts as well from Mary Grace Foster and Meg Paparella. Foster finished second on the team with a career-best 13 kills while Paparella matched her career-high with 12. Foster's previous best was 11 at Valdosta State on Oct. 12. Paparella's top performance was 12 at Montevallo earlier in the month.
 
Ali Wiggins and Caylin Pixley provided 20-plus assists performances. Wiggins tied a season-high with 26 dimes while Pixley added 24.
 
On the defensive end of the floor, Julia Sumrall poured in four total blocks while Cydney Mitchell added three total with all three coming in solo rejections. The solo triplets matched a career-high that came at AUM on Oct. 3, 2023. Paulette and Samarin Kipple supplied 11 digs each while Londyn Bakeris had 10 in the effort.
 
MC opened the match with a 25-17 victory, but dropped the following two sets 25-23 and 25-19. However, the Blue and Gold rallied to take the fourth set and send the match to a deciding set – its second of the season and first since Sept. 6 at Ouachita Baptist University, a Choctaw victory on the Tigers' home floor.
 
It opened the fourth frame on an 11-3 run, but found itself trailing 21-19 late and starring four-set setback in the face. After tying the set at 22-all, a Sumrall solo block gave the squad a 25-24 advantage. After the Warhawks tied the contest at 25-apiece, a kill from Paulette followed by another from Foster gave the Choctaw a 27-25 victory and sending the contest to the extra set.
 
The two squads exchanged points early and often with neither looking to give in. A Bakeris service ace gave the Blue and Gold a 12-11 lead, but the Orange and Black responded with a 4-1 run to close out the frame and walk away with a 15-13 victory and the match.
 
Mississippi College returns to action on Tuesday, Oct. 26 as it hosts Montevallo in the last of six consecutive home matches. First serve is at 6 p.m.