Auburn volleyball completed its two-game sweep against Alabama Sunday, beating the Tide 3-1 in Tuscaloosa.
“It was a great weekend. It was interesting in both first sets of both matches, Alabama played great and we were just a little bit on our heels,” said head coach Brent Crouch. “I think we’re still learning how to play our level consistently and how to do that all weekend long against really good teams in the SEC.”
Alabama had a fast start, putting the Tigers on their heels early. Freshman Bel Zimmerman attempted to wheel Auburn to a win in the first set with four kills, but Alabama’s team hitting of .294 was too much to overcome.
Auburn was more efficient in the second though, serving up five aces while hitting .450. Sophomore Fallen Lanham lead the Tigers with two aces. Behind her and freshman Madison Scheer, the Tigers tied the game up going into the third.
Scheer would play like a woman possessed in the third, getting six kills on eight swings with no errors. The freshman would go on to finish with 20 kills on .486 hitting, the seventh time this season Scheer has hit for over .400.
The rest of the Tigers rallied around Scheer, with Sarah Morton and Zoe Slaughter making plays in the back row, and Chelsey Harmon and Kendal Kemp playing solid at the net. Lanham continued her immaculate serving with another ace to put Auburn one set away from the sweep.
“We certainly knew we had talent but they are learning how to play together, learning how to communicate on the court and learning how to connect,” Crouch said. “They have clearly connected in a really good way. They’ve learned how to be coached by me and now it’s a little more collaborative.”
Kemp started out the fourth with a statement block for the Tigers. Akasha Anderson would add on to her strong performance, getting seven of her 18 digs in the final set. Scheer would get another seven kills, and the team hit a game back .310 to turn the lights out on the Tide.
Auburn will return home Wednesday and attempt to remain unbeaten against Mississippi State. That game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. CST, broadcast on the SEC Network.
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Donavan Weaver is a senior at Auburn, majoring in journalism. He is from Brewton, Ala. and started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @donavanweaver21
