In two matches against Texas A&M at home this weekend, Auburn volleyball rallied after some tough losses on the road. After being swept by Kentucky two nights in a row, the Tigers returned to Neville Arena and their winning ways.
Following the weekend's performance, the Tigers (20-5, 9-5) sit at fourth in the SEC with just three teams between them and the end of the regular season. This is the Tigers' first 20-win season since 2010.
Match one
Auburn didn’t return to its home court just to take the season's second loss in Neville Arena, opening the weekend hot to beat Texas A&M 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21), the first win on the Plains over the Aggies since 2013.
With the win, it marks the first time in program history that the Tigers won back-to-back games over the Aggies, a number that grew to three with Sunday's win. It is also Crouch’s 19th win this season, giving Auburn their most wins since the 2019 season.
It was forceful Tiger serving that led to many Aggie errors. Delivering promising efforts from the service line were Akasha Anderson, Fallan Lanham, Sarah Morton, and Jordan Sinness.
Lanham's 32 aces are now tied for eighth-most aces, alongside Brenna Mcllroy, for the most in single-season history.
Two blocks from the Tigers helped Auburn take the early lead. While Lanham and Morton were the only two to be acknowledged for an ace in the first set, forcing the Aggies out of their rhythm led to the visitors making eight attacking errors.
Kendal Kemp's three rejections on the defensive side gave the momentum to the home team, as they rattle off two separate 4-1 runs to take its largest lead of the night.
With a two-set lead, the Tigers were bound to finish the Aggies in three sets. However, Auburn found itself down late in the third by four, even with Kemp putting down four kills and Sinness adding an ace.
Though that didn’t deter Auburn, as it went on a 3-0 run which included Chelsey Harmon and Madison Sheer’s momentum-swinging block, tying the set at 20.
The Aggies closed out the set, but Auburn gained some of its confidence back.
The Tigers displayed their most rounded effort of the season as the offense, led by Jackie Barrett, saved its best for last. Anderson’s 13 kills led the way, with Scheer close behind with 10, and Harmon, Kemp, and Bel Zimmerman adding nine kills each.
Texas A&M could not respond as the Tigers sealed the win and moved them to 19-5, as well as 8-5 in SEC play and 7-1 at Neville Arena.
Match two
While it still took four sets to take down the Aggies, Auburn was still able to cap off its weekend on a high note, once again winning 3-1 (25-21, 29-27, 24-26, 33-31).
The serving got Auburn off to a firm start, with Anderson and Sinness adding aces that gave their team some cushion in the opener. Things got closer after set one.
Anderson showed up on Sunday, adding nine kills on 17 attacks in the second set alone. Texas A&M made a late run to tie that set at 22, forcing a close finish, but the Tigers were able to hang on until the end.
A Scheer kill and Barrett serve were the two efforts that drew an error from Texas A&M, giving the Tigers a two-set lead at what was ultimately the halfway point.
In the third set, Auburn had a four point lead but like in the second, the Aggies were able to rally and bring in extra points that ultimately got them the set. Forcing a fourth, Texas A&M was able to tie the set 25 times and change the lead nine times. No team led by more than three points at any given time.
Three of the match's final four points came via a tandem effort from Anderson, Scheer and Kemp. When the eighth match point was on the line, an Aggie error was what gave the Tigers the win.
Scheer's day ended with six kills in the fourth, enough to push her to 14 for the day. Anderson lead the team with a match-high of 21 kills. Kemp's eight blocks are enough to leave her just seven behind the program's single-season record.
Having survived the Aggies, the Tigers hit the road to face Ole Miss on Friday, Nov. 11, one of two road matches before the team returns home for a weekend of matches against Arkansas to end the regular season.
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Callie Stanford, junior in communications, is the sports editor at the Auburn Plainsman. Currently a junior, she has been with The Plainsman since January 2021.
Twitter: @Stanford1Callie
William Halliday started with The Plainsman in fall 2022. He is a journalism major from Memphis, Tennessee.
Twitter: @wphalliday3
