Auburn volleyball faced off Ole Miss in Neville Arena, and despite Auburn's impressive defense, the Tigers fell short(14-7, 4-6), losing in four sets, 3-1 (25-20, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21).
Early in the first set, Auburn’s defense refused to back down, with Madison Scheer, Bella Bell, and Jasmine Okeoma having all delivered strong blocks. Scheer also showed her skill on offense, putting down four kills on her thirteen swings.
Auburn’s defense didn’t slow down with six digs from Alexis Dacosta, five from Lauren Dreves, and four from Peyton Dunn. Dacosta ended the match with 11 digs, reaching double digits for the 11th straight match. Still, even with the effort from the back row, the Tigers couldn’t keep up, and Ole Miss managed to take a five point lead (25-20).
Dunn and Dreves continued to keep the strength of the back row, and together managed to get 10 digs in the second set. Both Dreves and Scheer also landed three kills. This match Scheer ended with 11 kills total, marking this the 14th match in a row she has reached double digits. Dunn finished the game with 21 assists 15 digs, and her seventh double-double of 2024.
When both teams were tied, 22-22, Scheer’s well-placed serves gave Auburn the opportunity to close the gap. Okeoma and Zimmerman delivered with two impenetrable blocks that led the match into a fourth set.
Auburn’s offense continued to give it their all. Zimmerman added five more kills, bringing her night’s total to 12. This was the 14th time she has reached double digits in the 2024 season. Despite all of this, Ole Miss didn’t back down and kept a consistent lead, winning both sets.
In set three, Auburn’s controlled passing allowed the Tigers to hit their highest percentage of the night at .429. Setters Dunn and Kalei Edson made it possible for hitters to deliver kills throughout the set.
Bella Bell gained seven kills on her nine swings. Dreves and Bel Zimmerman each collected five kills each. Additionally, Dreves would end the night with a sixth-career double-double (12 kills, 18 digs).
Despite closing the gap 16-18, Auburn’s defense couldn’t keep up with the Ole Miss offense, sealing the match with a 3-1 loss.
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Grace is a Sophomore majoring in Speech Language Hearing Sciences. She joined the Plainsman in the spring of 2024.
