Another offensive power was once again the decider last match, as Auburn (8-2, 0-0) beat Samford (4-6, 0-0) in four sets, 3-1 (23-25, 25-12, 25-13, 25-14) on Friday night in the Pete Hanna Center. Auburn hit .400 for the match, marking the second time this season the Tigers have reached .400 and the sixth time they have eclipsed .300.
Samford did not give Auburn any time to breathe in the beginning, consistently keeping Auburn from finding a rhythm defensively as the Bulldogs hit for .333, compared to the Tigers’ .194. Auburn’s defense improved as the night went on, ultimately holding Samford to just .128 hitting, the eighth time this season the Tigers have kept their opponent below .200.
Lauren Dreves had six kills, but it wasn’t enough as too many unforced errors forced the Orange and Blue to play from behind to begin the match. Dreves finished with 15 kills on .361 hitting, reaching double digits for the ninth time in 10 matches this season and swinging over .300 for the seventh time.
In the second set, the Tigers were able to increase the service pressure, finally regaining control of the ball. Kalei Edson delivered the first of four aces during the evening and Baileigh Carlsen record the first of her career, causing Auburn to begin the second set on an 8-2 run. Carlsen’s pair of aces also marked the first of her career.
By forcing Samford out of their system, Auburn’s defense quickly fueled its attack, with Edson and fellow setter Shanelle Puetz orchestrating an offense that surged to a blistering .519 hitting percentage in the second set.
Auburn’s balanced attack kept the Bulldogs on their heels for the remainder of the match. Bel Zimmerman added four kills in the second, while Dreves, Liz Markovska and Eden Bower all collected three each. Kate Mansfield added onto this with two blocks, bringing her to 100 for her career, and the Tigers easily pushed to a set win.
Head Coach Brent Crouch spoke on the first set saying, “We made far too many mental mistakes in that first set. But when we settled down and kept the ball in the court, good things happened. We just have to stay in rallies sometimes. Credit to the team, though. I asked them to make the adjustment and they did. They hit their serving targets, our transition offense got much better and we were far better defensively. This is a long week of matches and it can be difficult to stay focused. We have one more test tomorrow and then we can reset for SEC play.”
Dialing in from the service line allowed Auburn to dictate the pace and keep the match under control. The Tigers racked up 10 aces on the night, highlighted by four from Edson, three from Markovska, two from Carlsen, and one from Dreves. This marked the second time this season Auburn has reached double digits in aces, and the total was the most since recording 10 against Jackson State on Sept. 5. Markovska’s three aces also set a new season high.
Markovska’s second ace of the evening pushed the senior over 1,000 career points. She also reached double digits in kills for the eighth time this season, finishing with 12.
The Auburn Tigers dominated at the net in set three, as Dreves, Zimmerman, Havlicek, and Markovska combined for a string of blocks that swung the match in Auburn’s favor. Auburn finished with 13 team blocks overall, the sixth time this season they’ve hit double digits. Zimmerman set a career high with seven blocks while Havlicek tied her season high with seven of her own. Mansfield also added five, marking her eighth match this season with at least four.
Auburn hit its stride in the final frame, leaving little room for Samford to respond. The Tigers’ precise passing led to a .500 hitting mark in set four, backed by four blocks from Zimmerman and three from Havlicek. Zimmerman also set season-highs in both kills (12) and hitting percentage (.556). Adding in two more aces from Edson, Auburn pieced together a vintage performance that limited the Bulldogs on both sides of the ball.
In the back row, Alexis Dacosta anchored the defense with 19 digs, reaching double digits for the ninth time in 10 matches this season.
The Tigers earned their second victory of the Alabama Showdown, 3-1, with only South Alabama remaining on Saturday.
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