Auburn volleyball improved its record to 2-0 on Saturday night after sweeping Jackson State.
Rebekah Rath and Liz Reich led the way offensively for Auburn with a combined 39 kills to only four errors in a dominating performance. Head coach Brent Crouch believes that Rath’s form can continue to improve as the season progresses and the schedule gets tougher.
“She’s experienced and she’s confident,” Crouch said. “And she’s only going to get better.”
Right from the beginning the match belonged to Auburn and this was a consistent theme for each set. Auburn jumped out to a quick 11-4 lead in the first set and Jackson State was never able to catch up, as Auburn won set one 25-9.
Auburn began to roll after that, winning the second and third set 25-13 and 25-11, respectively.
Elif Yavuz, the senior out of Turkey, was a force up front. She totaled a game-high eight blocks. Rath, Reich and Tatum Shipes each had five blocks as well. As Auburn’s top players began to rack up blocks, Jackson State could not do the same. Auburn had 14 blocks to only Jackson State’s four.
Auburn’s offense proved to be efficient on the night. The Tigers offense had 42 kills to only five attacking errors, which created a hit percentage of .457 percent. In comparison, Jackson State’s hit percentage was only .011 percent. Auburn put up six service aces as well.
“It was really great to see some of the back row attacks start connecting,” Crouch said.
In the buildup play, Jackie Barett was solid when it came to setting up her teammates for kills. She had a game-high 27 assists which was more than the entire Jackson State team combined.
Libero Bella Rosenthall put together another classy performance as she accounted for 14 digs and six assists. As a senior and defensive specialist, she will be called on constantly each game to keep a rally going and perhaps steal a crucial point in a set.
Freshmen Kate Curtis and Fallan Lanham provided some depth for the back row. They had a combined seven digs.
For its next matchup, Auburn will travel down to Hammond, Louisiana, to compete in the 2021 Southeastern Showdown. The Tigers play their first game of the tournament on Friday, with their weekend opponents including Southern University, Southeastern Louisiana and Cal State Fullerton.
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Jacob is a sophomore from Leeds, Alabama. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman.
Twitter: @JacobWaters_
