With a packed crowd, the Auburn secured a 3-2 win over South Carolina decked out in pink (25-22, 19-25, 25-23, 24-26, 17-15).
After suffering a 3-0 loss to Missouri on Friday, No. 23 Auburn (14-5, 4-4 SEC) hoped to secure a win over South Carolina (8-9, 2-6 SEC) on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 22. Head coach Brent Crouch and his girls accomplished that goal with an electric win over the Gamecocks.
"Really gutsy performance," Crouch said. "We've got a lot of challenges right now health-wise. We talked about it before the match. I told them I really believe in this team and I believe in how they lift each other up and compete hard in practice all the way down through the roster. I knew that we were going to play really hard and for each other. That's what they did. It wasn't perfect all the time but it was really good in enough stretches to get the win."
South Carolina and Auburn was an even matchup, matching each other's pace throughout the game. The Gamecocks collected 60 kills, a .183 hitting percentage and 11 service aces on offense and 65 digs and seven blocks on defense. The Tigers recorded 59 kills, a .250 H% and eight service aces, accompanied with 61 digs and 16 blocks.
The third and fifth set were crucial for the Tigers to solidify their win, and their young players, sophomores Madison Scheer and Kendal Kemp, helped get the win over the Gamecocks. Scheer's kill secured the third, while Kemp's block was the play that ended the game.
Scheer led Auburn’s offense with 24 kills – which is a career high – .333 H% and 26 points. Senior Bella Bell recorded eight kills with one error (.350 H%) and 11 points. Senior Jackie Barrett added 47 assists and seven points to the stat sheet.
Junior Paige Thibault had a solid performance on the back row with 21 digs, as sophomore Akasha Anderson and Barrett followed with 14 and 10. Leading the front row, graduate Kyla Swanson collected 11 total blocks – 10 assisted and one solo – along with six kills and 12 points. Thibault's 21 digs and Swanson's 11 blocks were a career-high for both transfers.
"Ultimately, I think it came back to the relationships on this team," Thibault said. "It wasn't just me out there doing that, it was everyone around me, believing in me. Like coach said, we had a lot of kids step up tonight. I don't want to put the spotlight on myself but give everyone the glory they deserve because they helped me do what I needed to do to fulfill that role and that job."
For South Carolina, senior Riley Whitesides led the offense with 21 kills, a .333 H% and 24.5 points. Whitesides also led the back row with 15 digs plus two blocks.
First-year Campbells Paris and senior Kiune Fletcher were also major contributors. Paris recorded 14 kills (.345 H%) and 15 points, while Fletcher collected 10 kills (.160 H%) and 11.5 points.
The Tigers head back on the road for a three-game road trip against the Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 27, the Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 29 and the Texas A&M Aggies on Nov. 5. The Georgia game will be televised on SEC Network+ at 6 p.m. CST.
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
