From the opening set to the final point, the Auburn Tigers delivered a dominant performance, sweeping the Virginia Cavaliers 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-21) to earn the victory in the inaugural Showdown at the Net. The Tigers delivered depth, chemistry, and intelligence on the court in front of their home crowd at Neville Arena.
“We’re getting much better as a team,” said head coach Brent Crouch after the match. “You can see we’re starting to gel together on the court. People are also making very good decisions, and we’re capitalizing on errors. I’m extremely pleased with where we're at right now. Virginia is a good team, but we did some things tonight to make ourselves look very good in front of our home crowd. Florida State on Friday and Sunday will be another good test for us as we move forward.”
The Tigers finished out the game with great defense, tallying 10.5 total team blocks, marking the Tigers' third straight match they have reached double digits. Lauren Dreves, Bel Zimmerman, and Liz Markovska were four key defensive players for the Tigers, each gathering four kills.
Offensively, the Tigers hit .333, marking the fourth time Auburn has hit north of .300 this season.
Coach Crouch remarks that he could not have asked for a better start to the match. Setters Kalei Edson and Shanelle Puetz took the passing from the back row and turned it into one of the most efficient offensive performances for the Tigers. Together, these two directed an offense that hit .412, along with delivering four blocks.
The Tigers ran away with the early lead, taking the first match. The early parts of the second set were played close with both teams tied at 13 apiece before Auburn pulled off its largest run of the season, outscoring Virginia 12-3 in a flurry that included two blocks and two aces.
Markovska led the charge with a team-high six kills on her 12 swings, while Dreves added four more as well. Fresh off a 10-ace performance against Jackson State last week, Auburn continued with their aggressive playing, supplying four more against Virginia. Puetz recorded a pair, as did Edson and Dreves with one each as well.
Though Auburn entered the third set with a 2-0 lead, the Cavaliers refused to let up easily. The game consisted of 12 ties and four lead changes, but ultimately, Auburn took home the win.
With the home side leading 19-18, Auburn found kills from Kate Mansfield, Zimmerman, and Markovska. Zimmerman would finish her evening with nine kills on an even .500 hitting to go along with a team-high five blocks. Markovska stacked up a game-high 11 kills, and Dreves was right behind with 10. All of which added up to a dominant sweep, and the first win for the Southeastern Conference in the inaugural Showdown at the Net.
The Auburn Tigers are riding high on this victory into their next game in Neville Arena against the Florida State Seminoles on Friday, September 12th.
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Sarah is a sophomore majoring in public relations. She started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
