Dreves’ impressive performance leads Auburn to first win in Alabama Showdown over Samford

A double-double from freshman outside hitter Lauren Dreves sent Auburn volleyball on its way to a 3-1 victory over the Samford Bulldogs on Thursday, kicking off the Alabama Showdown with a win in Birmingham, AL.

Dreves started her momentum off early in the first set and never looked back, recording four kills in the frame and helping the Tigers to claim the lead to start off a solid night. It was Dreves’ second match in a row recording a double-double at 15 kills and 16 digs.

Despite the score, the game was very even statistically. Just two kills separated the two teams, with Auburn recording 51 on the night while Samford made 49 of its own. Each squad was also even in the assist department as well, which showed the Tigers having 46 as compared to the Bulldogs’ 45.

What separated the two teams, though, was the aces and blocks. Auburn scored eight points in each statistic while Samford put up five aces and four blocks, largely contributing to the win.

The offensive coordination between Dreves, Peyton Dunn and Kalei Edson were felt in the first set, making solid passes throughout the frame to ultimately set Dreves up for a kill. Dunn also posted a solid serve, picking up an early ace to contribute to the scoring.

The Tigers also showed momentum on the defensive side of the ball, as Fallan Lanham and Alexis Dacosta picked up digs in the back, while Emma Moore and Chelsey McCurdy used their verticality to pick up some blocks, holding the Bulldogs to just 0.040 hitting at one point.

As a result of their play, the Tigers took an early lead with a 25-18 victory.

The game got turned upside down in the second set, however, as the Bulldogs stormed out to a 7-2 lead early thanks to kills by Ally Cordes, Gracie Lynn Butler and Kaleigh Merritt. 

While Auburn eventually reached within one thanks to kills from Moore and Bel Zimmerman, Samford’s offense pulled away to tie the game at one frame each.

The third set saw the Tigers get back on track with early blocks by Moore and Zimmerman, while Dreves continued to pick up more kills. 

The big change in momentum, though, came from Edson’s serving, recording two aces in a row to put Auburn up 16-11. While the Bulldogs pulled within three points later in the set, kills by McCurdy, Dreves and Madison Scheer helped the Tigers to score four of the final five points and go up 2-1 in the game.

Head coach Brent Crouch felt optimistic about the way his team responded, seeing the toughness as a positive note of foreshadowing for the rest of the 2024 campaign. 

“I was happy with the way we started the match off. We came out with great energy and executed in the way that I wanted to see,” Crouch said. “I needed to challenge them after that second set a little bit and again, they responded. Even though I was disappointed in how that second set went, I’m incredibly encouraged in how the team responded to that challenge and I think that’s a very good sign moving forward.”

Scheer then continued to assist her team in finishing the game off, as she came to be the hero in the fourth frame. 

With the set sitting at a 15-14 Auburn lead, Scheer swung for four consecutive kills to push the lead to five points, which was not relinquished the rest of the way.

A block and a kill by Moore saw the Tigers claim a 25-17 victory in the frame, ending the match at a 3-1 win.

Scheer finished with 13 kills on the night, making it her sixth game of the season recording double-digit kills.

Between the digs by Dacosta and Dreves and the blocks by Bell, McCurdy, Moore and Zimmerman, Auburn held Samford to a .222 hitting percentage for the match, showing a quality defensive performance to begin the weekend in the Magic City.

The Tigers continue their action in the Birmingham, AL on Friday when they take on the UAB Blazers in game two of the Alabama Showdown at 7 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.