Auburn volleyball beats Alabama to move to 2-0 in SEC

Auburn volleyball picked up its eighth straight win over the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday, moving the Tigers to 2-0 in the SEC.

The Tigers defeated Alabama 3-1 (25-19, 15-25, 27-19, 25-22) before a record-breaking crowd of 3,082, the highest attendance in program history.

“It's huge. It means so much to the players to be supported like that,” said Auburn head coach Brent Crouch. “That's great. It has increased every year and it is important for our players here.”

Auburn won the first set 25-19, recording a .103 hitting percentage with 11 kills on 39 attempts. An early kill from Bella Bell, followed by a block from Madison Scheer and Grace Havlicek, sparked a mini-run that gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead over the Crimson Tide.

The Tigers maintained their lead throughout the first set, helped by dominant net play and aggressive defense. Auburn tallied four blocks and 17 digs in the opening set, keeping pace with its season averages of 2.99 blocks and 18.02 digs per set and holding the Crimson Tide to a .000 hitting percentage.

Luca Flores | Photo editor

Bel Zimmerman shoots a ball past Alabama and into the net during Auburn vs. Alabama on September 29, 2024.

Auburn struggled to get on offense in the second set and lost the set 25-15 to Alabama. The Crimson Tide posted a .375 hitting percentage in the second set, compared to minus-0.38 for the Tigers, with 15 kills on 32 attempts.

Alabama began the second set on an 11-2 scoring run, with Auburn failing to break on offense and the Alabama defense recording 13 attacks to the Tigers' 26 kill attempts. Alabama libertine Francesca Bertucci kept the Auburn offense at bay in the second set, grabbing nearly every ball that came her way. Bertucci finished the night with 14 digs.

After a shaky second set, Auburn made adjustments and prevailed over Alabama 29-27 in the third set. The Tigers and Alabama traded points throughout the set, with neither team able to gain more than a one-point lead. The Crimson Tide finally reached the set point at 24-22 and threatened to take a 2-1 lead in the game.

Luca Flores | Photo editor

Fallan Lanham crouches to throw during Auburn vs. Alabama on September 29, 2024.

Auburn responded under pressure and secured two set points thanks to key plays from Scheer and Bel Zimmerman, leveling the score at 24-24. Alabama briefly regained the lead, but Auburn fended off another set point and ultimately secured the set 29-27.

From there, the Tigers scored a 25-22 win in the fourth set to secure the win. Auburn finished the final set with a .371 batting average, 15 kills, 17 digs and three blocks. Alabama was able to tie the score at 22-22 late in the set, but the Tigers rallied under pressure and scored the next three points with two kills and an attack error by Alabama to earn their eighth straight win over the Crimson Tide.

“I thought we handled these pressure situations well,” said Scheer. “Pressure situations are also tough, we felt that in the third and fourth sets.”

Auburn volleyball returns with a home game against Georgia on Friday, October 4th. The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.