Auburn volleyball swept Tennessee Tech in three straight sets to win its 2021 season-opener on Friday night.
“It feels good to be back and get the first one out of the way,” said volleyball head coach Brent Crouch. “They really settled down and took control of the match.”
The first match was a back-and-forth battle, with the Tigers leading 14-12 in the middle of the first set. Senior Tatum Shipes’ five kills and three blocks led the way for the Tigers to take the first set of the match with a score of 25-17. Shipes ended the night with a total of eight kills and seven blocks. Auburn then went on to win both the second and third sets of the match with scores of 25-12 and 25-19, respectively.
Fellow upperclassmen also led the way at the net, specifically senior Val Green and junior Rebekah Rath, who were highlighted by Coach Crouch. Green came away with five kills and three blocks, while Rath gathered an Auburn-high 13 kills and four blocks. To round out the top four hitters at the net, graduate student Liz Reich had the next-highest kill tally with a total of nine kills and one block.
A couple of new defensive players, freshmen Kate Curtis and Fallan Lanham, joined senior libero Bella Rosenthall in the back row. Each freshman had four digs, while Rosenthall had a match-high 17 digs.
“The group competes at practice," Crouch said. "They are really good friends who support each other and connect really well.”
To round out the night, sophomore setter Jackie Barrett had a team-high of 25 assists and the next-highest tally of digs with 12.
The Tigers will next face Jackson State on Saturday, Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m. CST in Auburn Arena to continue their opening weekend of volleyball.
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Emily Porch is a senior from Sylacauga, Alabama. She joined The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @emilycporch
