After falling behind two sets to none, the Auburn volleyball team beat the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia, in a thrilling comeback victory. The No. 24 Tigers won the match in five sets (22-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-11), taking each of the last three sets. This victory marked Auburn's first reverse sweep of the season.
Auburn got off to a slow start, falling behind 2-0 after losing the first set, 25-22, and the second set, 25-18. The Georgia offense put together late runs in otherwise close sets to pull away from Auburn and take a commanding lead. However, the Tigers fought back beginning in set three, winning the third set 25-23. This marked the turning point in the match as Auburn hit .297 in the set to take the momentum.
The fourth set proved no different as Auburn won 25-18, holding a sizable lead throughout the whole set. In the fourth set, Auburn's defense held Georgia to a hitting percentage of zero while the offense had a match-high 40 total attacks. The Tigers built a lead of seven late in the set and tied the match score at two, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth set, Auburn took advantage of its momentum — winning 15-11 to seal the reverse sweep. With the win, Brent Crouch’s program moved to 4-1 in five-set matches on the season and 10-4 in the last two seasons.
“There's a lot of belief in our group and a lot of connection between the players. I think when things get tight, those are the two things that matter…," Crouch said. "They hate losing. They just do and they make big plays when it matters.”
Auburn had contributions from the whole team in its comeback, with many players having career nights. Madison Scheer tied her career high in kills with 24, having her second consecutive 20-kill game.
Akasha Anderson recorded 11 kills in the match, as she reached the double-digit mark for the 16th time this season. Jackie Barrett had 46 assists and 12 digs on the night, marking her 12th double-double of the season to lead the team.
Kyla Swanson and Kendal Kemp each recorded a team-leading seven blocks. Swanson has now reached the seven-block mark in four of Auburn's last five matches. Other notable Tigers were Bel Zimmerman with four aces and Paige Thibault with 23 digs, each player reaching career highs in those categories.
“As the match went on, we just got more comfortable with what they were doing, when you play away sometimes it's like that…," Crouch said. "I thought we did a really nice job in sets three, four and five, serving them tougher than we did in the first set. When we passed well, we didn’t have any problems.”
The win moved Auburn to 16-5 on the season and 6-4 in SEC play. Auburn heads to Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Sunday, Oct. 29, to play Alabama, which is winless in conference play. Sunday's match will begin at 11 a.m. CST and will be televised on the SEC Network.
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Luke McClure is a junior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in sports production. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
Twitter: @lukemcclure0
