No. 24 Auburn (17-5, 7-4 SEC) won its third consecutive SEC match in the last eight days, beating Alabama (10-12, 0-11 SEC) 3-1 on Sunday afternoon in the Iron Bowl of volleyball (25-18, 22-25, 25-23, 25-22).
Auburn head coach Brent Crouch improved on his record against program rivals, collecting his fifth win against Alabama in his time on The Plains and retaining his undefeated mark against the Tide in a close match.
Once again, sophomore Madison Scheer was the star for the Tigers, with her 21 kills marking her third straight match with 20 or more kills. Scheer hit for a .306 hitting percentage and totaled two blocks. During the match, Scheer also collected her 600th career kill.
Alongside Scheer, Auburn senior Bella Bell was efficient at the net. Bell was the only other Tiger to record double-digit kills (12) and hit for a .435 hitting percentage. As part of Auburn’s dominating block, Bell also notched three blocks in the match.
The Tigers came out hot, claiming the first set with a score of 25-18. Auburn collected 12 kills as well as three blocks to keep the Alabama offense off balance, forcing eight attack errors. The Tigers' offense continued to roll throughout the match, outpacing the Tide with 58 kills to Alabama’s 48.
Alabama fought from behind to take the second set 25-22, capitalizing on Auburn's errors and out-blocking the Tigers four to three. The Tide had three players finish the match with 10 kills, including senior Chaise Campbell, who also totaled seven blocks on the match.
Two notable names for Auburn and Alabama were noticeably silent in today’s match.
Auburn’s Akasha Anderson was held to only nine kills and a .031 hitting percentage, her lowest amount of kills since being held to just one against Arkansas on Sept. 27. Anderson did make her mark defensively, collecting 12 digs for her sixth match with double-digit digs this season.
Alabama’s Kendyl Reaugh, team leader in kills with 249 on the season, was also held to just nine kills and hit for a season-low .028 hitting percentage. While not producing on the net, Reaugh did collect eight digs and a block.
The Tigers snagged the last two sets of the match with close scores of 25-23 and 25-22, respectively. An Auburn team prone to service errors, including 14 in the game, stepped up with five aces in the last two sets. In the last set alone, there were 13 ties and seven lead changes as Auburn clinched the match.
The win against the Tide marked the Tigers' sixth straight win against Alabama and was their third straight win in Tuscaloosa.
Auburn will once again be on the road for its next match on Sunday, Nov. 5, to take on Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. The first serve is set for 3 p.m. CST and will be televised on SEC Network.
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Emily Porch is a senior from Sylacauga, Alabama. She joined The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @emilycporch
