The Auburn Tigers (9-1, 0-0) traveled to Birmingham, Ala. for the Alabama Showdown, where they defeated UAB (5-5, 0-0). With consistent performances across the roster, the Tigers remain undefeated as they continue their run in the Alabama Showdown.
In the first set the Tigers' defense needed a moment to find their rhythm, but outside hitters Madison Scheer and Lauren Dreves refused to let their team fall behind. Scheer delivered seven kills and Dreves followed with another five.
“In that first set, we weren’t setting the block up in the right place. UAB got a bunch of good swings in the first half of that set. Then, we slowly chipped back at it," said Auburn head coach Brent Crouch. "In the second set, I felt like we had a good sense of where the sets were going and what the tempo was like. Ultimately, we were able to line up a bit better and do a bit more of what we’re used to.”
Auburn found its groove offensively and was able to dominate at the service line. Alexis Dacosta served two aces, and from there it was a smooth game for the Tigers.
As the set went on, freshman Grace Halicek made it even harder for UAB to catch up with the Tigers. Halicek stepped in for injured teammate Emma Moore and had two strong blocks.
“Grace was able to step right in and give us a great presence at the net all night long," Crouch said. "With her in, that means we played four freshmen tonight, and I just think that speaks volumes for the future of this program.”
Havlicek continued proving herself on defense, gaining five more block assists. She managed to finish her Auburn debut with eight by the end of the match.
Benefiting from consistent digs, Scheer and Dreves carried the left side, delivering kill after kill. After the second set, Scheer was up to 13 kills on an even .400 hitting percentage. Dreves put down four more kills on six swings with no errors and recorded her fourth double-double of the year with 10 kills and 10 digs total.
Auburn’s defense didn’t slow down going into the third set. Chelsey McCurdy, Bella Bell and Bel Zimmerman all piled up the blocks in the match's final set. The Tigers finished this match with a total of 11 blocks, marking the fifth time the Tigers reached double-digit blocks this year.
Zimmerman’s offense was just as strong as her defense. In addition to her season high of six blocks, she also managed to go into the double-digits with 10 kills.
Auburn’s defense was dominated the matchup. The Tigers held UAB to .089 hitting, marking the first time Auburn has held an opponent under .100 since holding Alabama to .075 last November.
The Tigers defense has been consistent this season, having held opponents below .200 in nine of their 10 matches.
Fallan Lanham contributed to the team's defensive performance, adding five digs in the third set with an ace. Lanham and the other servers continued the trend of aces, solidifying Auburn’s sweep 3-0.
The Tigers will take on South Alabama in the Alabama Showdown Saturday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. CST.
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Grace is a Sophomore majoring in Speech Language Hearing Sciences. She joined the Plainsman in the spring of 2024.
