On Wednesday, Nov. 22, Auburn faced off against Alabama in the Iron Bowl of volleyball at Neville Arena.
The Tigers swept the match, giving Brent Crouch his 150th win in his ninth year of coaching at the collegiate level.
Auburn's game plan from the start was to force Alabama into unfamiliar situations and that's just what it did, going on a 7-0 run after trailing 4-1 early.
In the first set, Madison Scheer and Akasha Anderson combined for 13 kills as the Tigers stretched their lead late in the first.
Along with Scheer and Anderson, Kendal Kemp helped close out the set with two blocks of her own, putting her at 300 total blocks in her career – only the eighth Auburn player to ever do so.
Kemp's performance helped Auburn close out the first set 25-14, giving the Tigers the early advantage.
In the second set Kyla Swanson put down four kills, joining Anderson and Scheer to combine for 11 on the set.
Along with Scheer, Swanson and Anderson, Sarah Morton led the way from the back row, putting away seven kills and 19 total digs on the evening.
Despite a late push from Alabama, Auburn's offense was too strong, giving the Tigers a 25-20 victory in the second set, and a commanding 2-0 lead.
As the final set approached, the Auburn attack looked the strongest it had all night, hitting .306 as a team through the third set. Anderson swung for seven more kills in this set, finishing the evening with 15 kills and 10 digs.
The defense from the Tigers was the difference maker in the final set, holding Alabama to just .106 hitting, the lowest of the night for the Crimson Tide.
The set finished with Anderson serving from the line, giving the Tigers a 25-18 victory over the Crimson Tide. This is Auburn's seventh straight victory over Alabama and puts Crouch at 6-0 against the Tide during his time with the Tigers.
Coach Crouch commented on the Tigers victory stating, “Very proud of the win today. There were multiple sets in a row across the last two matches where I thought the execution was good enough and the energy was at the right level, playing defense at the right level.”
The win brought Auburn's record to 20-8 on the season and 10-7 in the SEC.
“To be able to end up with another 20-win season and at least 10 wins in conference when the challenges are so different than last year means it’s a huge step forward,” Crouch said.
After the victory, the Tigers prepare for their final game of the season facing off against No. 9 Arkansas at Neville Arena on Friday, Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on SEC Network+.
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Jack Earnhardt is a sports writer from Birmingham, Alabama, majoring in building science. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
