After an impressive three-game slate in the Alabama Showdown last week, Auburn Volleyball started off SEC play with a bang, beating rival Alabama handily in three straight sets. The Tigers continued their recent dominant streak against the Crimson Tide, having won eight of their last ten matchups entering Friday night. On a night when Neville Arena was packed with over 3,000 fans, the Tigers put on a show for their largest crowd of the season. The rivalry matchup was Auburn Volleyball’s second-highest attended game ever, only eclipsed by the Tigers’ matchup versus Texas last season.
The Tigers set the tone quickly in the first set, forcing ten errors from the Crimson Tide while only recording two of their own. Alabama finished with 26 combined errors on the night compared to only 10 from the Tigers. A critical 10-4 run by Auburn proved to be pivotal in the first set after Alabama had knotted the score at 9-9 early in the match. Sophomore Lauren Dreves ended the set with a bang, recording one of her 14 kills on the night to secure the set victory for the Tigers.
Auburn remained in control throughout the second set, never surrendering its lead despite an impressive late push by the Crimson Tide, who cut the lead to just two points 25 minutes into the set. Auburn closed out the set with three straight first-ball kills from Kate Mansfield, Bel Zimmerman, and Dreves, respectively. The Tigers secured a 25-21 set victory after Liz Markovska and Grace Havlicek blocked an attack by Alabama’s Maddie Snider. Blocks proved to be crucial for the Tigers, whose 11 recorded blocks on Friday night more than doubled the five registered by the Crimson Tide. The team's defensive discipline and ability to read Alabama's offense played a key role in maintaining their momentum.
The third set was more of the same for the Tigers, who recorded 14 kills while notching only two errors to cap off their quickest set of the night. Despite Alabama maintaining a lead for the first eight minutes, Auburn stormed back in dominant fashion, finishing the set on a 15-11 run. Lauren Dreves had yet another impressive performance and has emerged as a star player for the Tigers, despite only being a sophomore. Dreves is currently top 10 in the SEC in both kills and points. Her consistent offensive production has been a driving force behind Auburn’s success so far this season.
Overall, the Tigers have exceeded expectations so far this season, currently ranking second in the SEC in opponent hitting percentage and sixth in hitting percentage.
In their first game back in Neville Arena in over two weeks, the Tigers continued their undefeated home streak this season while improving their overall record to 10-2. This matchup will be the only time the Tigers face Alabama in the regular season, and they took care of business with little to no issue. Auburn will hope to use this impressive victory as momentum as they continue SEC play, facing Mississippi State just two days later in Neville Arena on Sunday.
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Jonathan Wallin | Sports Writer
Jonathan is a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
