On Sept. 21, the Auburn women's volleyball team rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win the final three sets and hand South Carolina its first loss of the season, 3-1 (25-27, 25-16, 25-18, 25-22).
Senior outside hitter Sarah Bullock and junior outside hitter Katherine Culwell led the Tigers' strong attack. Bullock posted a team high 20 kills and grabbed her fourth double-double of the season by adding 13 digs. Culwell finished with 19 kills and 12 digs, her second double-double of the season.
Auburn coach Rick Nold was happy with the way his team responded after dropping the first set then coming back to sweep the Gamecocks in the final three sets.
"They're a great team," Nold said. "Defensively, they put a lot of pressure on us, especially early. I thought the biggest thing we did to change the tide a bit was serve and serve-receive."
Auburn also saw strong performances from junior setter Chelsea Wintzinger and freshman setter Ciara Richards.
Wintzinger recorded 28 assists and 12 digs, while Richards added 27 assists and 14 digs.
South Carolina (13-1, 2-1 SEC) took a close first set 27-25 thanks to the Gamecocks' freshman opposite hitter Sarah Blomgren, who put down the set-winning kill. South Carolina's junior outside hitter Juliette Thevenin led with seven kills in the set.
In the second set, Auburn (11-2, 2-1 SEC) rallied after falling behind 4-0. The Tigers recorded five service aces and went on an 11-1 run--ultimately winning the set 25-16.
Junior middle blocker Camila Jersonsky and Katherine Culwell led the Tigers with four kills each.
Nold said it was important to get their service game going after losing the first set early.
"We were serving aggressively, but almost right to them in game one," he said. "They're a good passing team, and we started mixing some things up on serve to get them out of system," Nold said.
In the third set, a kill from South Carolina's senior setter Taylor Bruns made it 19-16, but the Tigers went on a 6-3 run to come away with a 25-18 win, thanks to 19 team kills and seven kills apiece from Bullock and Culwell.
In the fourth set, the Gamecocks made it 22-20 thanks to a kill by Thevenin, but the Tigers held on and found the match-winning points, thanks to a kill by Auburn junior middle blocker Chloe Rowand and a service error by the Gamecock's Thevenin. Bullock led the Tigers with six kills and one block in the set.
Sept. 23, Bullock's 1,000th career dig served as a turning point for a second win as the Auburn volleyball team defeated Alabama for the sixth consecutive time, three sets to one.
The senior became the fifth player to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in Auburn volleyball history. The landmark dig, which came in a tightly contested third set, set up a point that gave Auburn a 15-13 lead. The team continued the momentum from Bullock's achievement,, winning 25-21. That win gave Auburn a 2-1 lead, and the Tigers quickly dispatched their bitter rivals in the fourth and final set, 25-18.
"I couldn't have asked for anything better," said Bullock, who posted team highs of 16 kills and 15 digs in the win. "I got my 1,000th dig in my last game at home against Alabama. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect scenario. This is what I've been striving for my whole career, and it's finally come true. I'm ecstatic."
Bullock, Culwell, Jersonsky and Courtney McDonald led the way for the Tigers as all four finished the match with double-digit kills. Culwell joined Bullock in double-double honors, registering 14 kills and 13 digs.
The victory was enjoyed by the third-largest crowd in Auburn history, as 1,146 fans filled the Student Activities Center Sunday afternoon.
"It's awesome to see that. We had a huge crowd here well before the match," Nold said afterward. "Our fans mean a lot to us. They help us through tough points and keep our energy going, so [the crowd] is something that we definitely need. It's great when we see that there aren't any seats left."
The Tigers took control of the match in the very first set, winning 25-19. Both teams traded points at the beginning of the set, but Auburn was able to take advantage of some Alabama miscues and race out to a 17-12 lead. Culwell led the way for the Tigers in the first set, registering six of her 13 kills in the opening frame.
But Alabama was able to equalize before intermission, winning a close second set 25-23. Auburn looked somewhat flat after its opening win, and the visitors were able to grab seven of the set's first nine points. Excellent serving and passing from Alabama's players gave them an early advantage they never relinquished.
The Tigers were able to get on a small run late in the set, but a thunderous kill from Alabama's Katherine White silenced the near-record crowd and squashed any Auburn comeback hopes.
Nold said the team made some big adjustments in intermission that led to their commanding wins in sets three and four.
"We didn't think that our energy was where it needed to be," he said. "We were giving them a lot of unforced errors; we had a lot that we needed to clean up on our side. We needed to come out and be more efficient on offense and adjust to what they were doing offensively. So we made those adjustments, and I think it made a big difference."
This four-set victory over Alabama brings Auburn's overall record to 12-2 and its conference record to 3-1. Just two weeks into conference play, Auburn has surpassed last season's 11-win total.
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