For the first time since 2017, Auburn volleyball defeated South Carolina — mounting a comeback to win the match 3-2.
The Tigers' defeat over the Gamecocks (25-23, 22-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13) improved their season record to 14-3 and SEC record to 4-2.
"That's a really tough team,” said head coach Brent Crouch. “They are going to win a ton of matches this year. Our offense wasn't clicking at the level we wanted, and we kind of expected that coming in, frankly. They are really good and big, and they are good at stopping left sides.”
Both Auburn and South Carolina got off to a fast start offensively in the first set, hitting above a .400 hitting percentage. Auburn's Akasha Anderson recorded five kills in the first set while Bel Zimmerman had four.
Anderson sent the final blow to hand the Tigers the first set and a 1-0 lead to open the match.
Auburn's defense started hot in the second set with four blocks. Chelsey Harmon and Sarah Morton combined for some good serves as Auburn started with a 9-4 lead. However, South Carolina stormed back to go up 13-12.
Despite a late run in the second set from Auburn, it was not enough to overcome the serving from the Gamecocks as the match became even.
South Carolina carried the momentum from the second set into the third set, leading Auburn by as much as six. Auburn kept it close, however, the deficit was too much to prevail in the end as the Gamecocks took the lead heading into set four.
Things began to shift into Auburn's favor in the fourth set as Jackie Barrett, Paige Thibault, Anderson and Harmon started to take over.
Auburn’s back row did a good job of setting up Auburn's attackers as the Tigers took set four. With a team high of 18 digs was Morton, followed by Anderson’s 15 and Barrett’s 12.
“It was fantastic to see Maddie [Scheer] handle that huge black and be a force offensively for us,” Crouch said. “Even though Akasha [Anderson] wasn't as effective attacking, she made some huge digs late in the fourth and into the fifth. It was great to see her contribute in other ways besides just on offense.”
Heading into the fifth set, Scheer started the set with a quick kill — getting the Tigers the instant momentum they needed. Serves by Barrett kept the Gamecocks off the net as the Tigers' defense took over. Auburn had an 8-5 lead by the time both teams switched sides.
Kyla Swanson and Barrett teamed up for the most important blocks of the night to make it 13-10 as the match neared its end. The Tigers totaled 17 rejections on the night, the second-highest mark this season.
Scheer ended the match with a kill, handing Auburn its 14th win of the season.
Auburn will head back on the road to face Tennessee on Friday, Oct. 13. The Tigers will be back inside Neville Arena the following on Oct. 20 to face Missouri at 6 p.m. CST.
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William Halliday started with The Plainsman in fall 2022. He is a journalism major from Memphis, Tennessee.
Twitter: @wphalliday3
