The Auburn volleyball team won its most important match of the season as took down Florida Sunday, winning in five sets to snap a 41-match losing streak that dates back to 1990.
The 11th-ranked Gators traveled into Auburn Arena, looking to sweep the season series after defeating the Tigers earlier this year.
Auburn was heavy underdogs coming into this but the Tigers came out in the first set with an extreme energy and passion, winning the first set 25-22.
The Gators woke up in the second set and took a commanding lead into the intermission, claiming the set 25-16. The noticeable difference with Auburn during this second set was the persistence in the positivity. Although the Tigers were not able to capitalize on the momentum from the first set, they kept level heads and remained calm.
Coming out of the break, the Tigers were on fire. They jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and everything was going their way. After a Florida timeout, the Gators went on an 8-1 run to take the lead and began to run away with the game. Auburn made a late run at the end of the second set to tie the game at 24, but despite the effort the Gators took the set 26-24.
Auburn came out in the fourth set with confidence despite losing two sets in a row and one set from a loss. In what was the most competitive set of the afternoon, no team could establish a true lead. After being tied at 15, Auburn eventually began to pull away as it was backed by a strong service game and some big blocks by junior Breanna Barksdale. Auburn pushed the match to a fifth set with a 25-21 win.
In the fifth emotions were high on both sides. The fans in Auburn Arena were on their feet as the Tigers tried to knock off the talented Gators. In the end Auburn had the final say, pulling it out with an 18-16 score.
Auburn came into this weekend on a three game losing streak but was able to pick up a nice win against South Carolina on Friday and now a major win against the Gators, the third win over a ranked opponent in program history.
“We have been playing well lately and its something we wanted to make sure we kept making steps and get ourselves into a situation like this where we could step up and make some plays to earn a win.” coach Rick Nold said. “We have been playing with a lot of confidence, it's just a matter of, we’ve got to believe in ourselves and more than anything we needed to be the aggressor the whole way."
The Tigers hope to carry the momentum of this win into their next game on Nov. 13, when they travel to Starkville, Mississippi to take on Mississippi State.
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