The volleyball team came away with mixed results from the two opening games of the SEC season.
Auburn was defeated by LSU last Thursday 3-1 (set scores: 25-22, 20-25, 17-25, 20-25) but pulled a win against Arkansas on Sunday 3-2 (25-20, 18-25, 25-16, 18-25, 15-10).
"We didn't play bad, we fought the whole time," said Morgan Johns, senior in communications and outside hitter. "We have a couple of things that we have to work on to beat that type of team."
Coach Wade Benson said the team's main weakness right now is serving. "We had double-digit errors in serving and if we want to be a tough team both on the road and at home, we need our serves to be in and consistent," Benson said.
The team has about a month before it faces LSU again, and Benson said the Tigers are looking forward to it. "We'll be ready to play at our highest level," Benson said.
Some highlights of the LSU game included Sarah Bullock's (sophomore in pre-business) 14 kills and 12 digs; Chelsea Wintzinger's (freshman in undeclared science and mathematics) career-high of 26 assists; and Liz Crouch's (senior in exercise science) season-best 26 digs.
"Liz Crouch had an amazing game that game," Johns said. "She's from Louisiana, so that's a big game for her."
Johns said the team really had to fight in the Arkansas game. "The momentum was changing back and forth, but we didn't quit and let them take it, we fought back," Johns said. "I'm glad that we were able to stay together and end up pulling off a win."
Benson said he knew the team had it in them, even with the challenge of a five-set game away from the team's home turf.
"Senior Morgan Johns was phenomenal for us and was our go-to attacker when she was in the front row," said Benson. "She played hard and was not willing to let the team lose that match."
Other strong players included Bullock, who tallied her third double-double of the season, finishing with 11 kills and a career-high 21 digs; Christina Solverson, junior in polymer and fibers engineering, who had 24 assists; and Lauren Mellor, senior in apparel design, who totaled five blocks.
The Tigers are now 10-4 for the year and 1-1 in the SEC. The team will next face the University of Kentucky, which currently stands at 7-5 overall and 1-1 in the SEC, on Sept. 24.
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