The Auburn volleyball team got off to a 3-0 start this season after wins over Coppin State, McNeese State and Jacksonville State in the War Eagle Invitational.
The Tigers dropped one set to Coppin State on Friday night, defeating the Eagles 3-1, but defeated both of their Saturday opponents– McNeese State and Jacksonville State– in straight sets.
“We need to be consistently focused all the time, regardless of the opponent and regardless of the score,” said head coach Brent Crouch. “Our team is gonna learn from this weekend and make that change.”
The Tigers started their Saturday against McNeese State, winning in straight sets (25-15, 25-15, 25-22). Sophomore outside hitter Akasha Anderson led the matchup with 14 kills and 18 points, followed by senior Bella Bell who totaled 11 kills and 12 points.
Auburn combined for 45 kills against McNeese State, finishing the match with a .333 hitting percentage, while McNeese State combined for only 29 kills with a .097 hitting percentage.
Saturday night’s matchup against Jacksonville State looked like the morning contest for the Tigers. Much like it did against the Cowgirls, Auburn bested the Gamecocks in straight sets (25-12, 25-11, 26-24).
Anderson once again led the Tigers in kills, totaling 10 over three sets and five in the first set alone.
“I want to be good over and over again,” Anderson said. “Knowing what balls I’m getting and what to put in and what to swing hard on. I’ve really been working on just figuring out the situation.”
Anderson’s offensive performance was not singular, as the Tigers' front row dominated against Jacksonville State, combining for 40 kills, six blocks and a .395 hitting percentage.
“We’ve got a really deep team, and we’re trying to figure out roles,” Crouch said. “It’s great to be able to play at home this weekend where we can get a lot of people in and see what’s going on. That’s always what we want to do on the first weekend, and I’m pleased with what we were able to accomplish this weekend.”
For their first away match of the season, the Tigers travel to Florida State on Saturday, Sept. 2 to take on Southern Methodist University in the Seminole Invitational. The match will begin at 12 p.m. CST.
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Grace Heim is a junior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in English Literature. She started with The Plainsman in January 2023.
