Coming into the weekend, Auburn was winless in SEC play. After facing in-state rival Alabama twice, the Tigers won both matches to even their conference record at 2-2.
Game 1
It took five sets and a record-setting performance from Tatum Shipes, but Auburn managed to prevail over Alabama on Saturday, notching their first SEC win on the season.
The first two sets were ripe with errors from both sides, as they combine for 38 in sets one and two. Alabama ended up with 42 errors on the night. Sets three and four, however, featured a defensive showdown from both sides. Senior libero Bella Rosenthall finished with 24 digs on the night, her 13th game with at least 20.
Alabama’s libero, Katie Shook, answered with 22 of her own. With her defensive skill set, Shook and the Alabama defense impressed Auburn outside hitter Rebekah Rath.
"Playing a team with defense like that is really fun," said Rath. "You get to explore your shots and explore your toolbox. It forces you to play outside your comfort zone and be really aggressive."
While Auburn fought back in the fourth set to cut a seven-point deficit to two, it couldn’t overcome Alabama’s defense, sending the match into a deciding fifth-set tiebreaker.
In the tiebreaker, Auburn jumped out to an 11-2 lead, with the middle blocker Shipes leading the way with two kills and three blocks in the set. Shipes, who just moved to the position this season, is quickly becoming one of the most effective blockers in the SEC. She ended the night with 12 blocks, a school record, something that head coach Brent Crouch touched on post game.
"It is really impressive what Tatum is doing," Crouch said. “I haven't seen anybody get as good at blocking as fast as she has. She's one of the best blocking middle blockers in the conference and she's going to be moving up the stats after this performance."
After jumping out to an early lead, Auburn was able to coast to victory with a few kills from Rath and fellow hitter Liz Reich, winning the set 15-5.
“We talk all the time about how defense wins,” Crouch said. “So we need to keep playing that side of the ball well, and I think we’re gonna have a good shot.”
Game 2
The second match was much quicker for Auburn, as the front row continued to dominate, the Tiger’s swept the Crimson Tide 3-0 on Sunday. The Tigers are now 2-2 in conference play.
Alabama made mistakes early, committing six errors in the first set, which allowed the Tigers to jump out to an early 1-0 lead in the match. The set was highlighted by a six point Jackie Barrett service run and Val Green gathering five total points in the set. Auburn took set one 25-19.
The second set went much the same, as Alabama had no answer to the blocking from Shipes and Yavuz Elif in the middle. Nine errors in total from the Crimson Tide let Auburn control the set from start to finish, leading by as much as 11 points. The set finished with Auburn commanding a 25-14 victory.
Set three was more closely contested by Alabama. Some early service errors from the Tigers let the Tide stay within striking distance, but a seven-point serving run from Fallan Lanham led Auburn to a nine point lead. While Alabama was able to cut the deficit to six points, a serve into the net let Auburn take home the sweep, having never trailed in the entire match.
Auburn’s offense was led by Reich and Rath. Reich, a graduate transfer from Portland, finished with 11 kills and a .435 hit percentage on the night. Reich credits her success to expanding her game.
“I’ve been working on my toolbox,” Reich said. “Being able to do it all and kind of read the situation is really important.”
Shipes once again led the way up front again with seven total blocks on the night, with a combined 12 for the team, and added three kills on the day as well. Crouch says that her role in the offense will increase as the year goes on.
“She’s learning how to be an attacker in the middle,” Crouch said. “I expect her to continue to get good at attacking but the blocking already is at a very high level and it’s really impressive.”
The Tigers next match is a road trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Saturday, Oct. 9th, to face off against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
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Dylan Fox, Junior in Civil Site Design Engineering, joined The Plainsman as a sports writer in Spring 2020. From Geneva, IL.
