Sept. 13, 2008
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Freshman Kelly Fidero led the Auburn attack with 13 kills and a .320 attack percentage as the Tigers (5-5) rolled to a 3-1 (25-16, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22) win over Oakland (3-6) in the second match of the 2008 Michigan Pepsi Challenge.
"This match was an excellent response to not playing out strongest last night against Toledo," said head coach Wade Benson. "Jessica Glover did an excellent job of leading the team, along with Liz Crouch. We were very steady throughout and showed a lot of maturity. I am very proud of our team effort."
Glover posted her fourth double-double of the season in the win, tallying 11 kills and a match-high 18 digs. Crouch followed with 11 digs of her own.
Lauren Mellor provided a spark off the bench for Auburn, posting eight kills and a .412 attack percentage while picking up four blocks.
Auburn returns to action tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT, against host No. 25 Michigan (8-0). GameTracker and a live audio Webcast will both be available at www.MGoBlue.com.
Auburn led start-to-finish in the first set, taking a quick 4-1 lead out of the gate, thanks in part to two kills from Wallace. She went on to lead the Tigers in the opening set with an error-free six kills. Oakland came back and cut the lead to one at the 8-7 mark, but AU was able to pull away for the eventual 25-16 win.
Six different Tigers picked up kills in the set with Glover finishing behind Wallace with three. She also picked up two service aces for Auburn in the set. Defensively, Wallace and Clark finished the set with three digs each.
Oakland took the early lead in the second set, scoring three of the first four points before jumping out to a 6-3 lead. Auburn bounced back and the set was tied five times before the Tigers took the lead for good at the 11-10 mark. Auburn went on a 9-3 run for its largest lead at 20-13, but the Golden Grizzlies came fighting back and cut the lead to one at 23-22 before AU could pull away for the 25-23 win.
Glover and Fidero led the Tiger attack with five kills each in the set while Mellor chipped in three. Defensively, Crouch posted three digs while Shanks led the team with four along with her 14 assists.
Oakland came out firing in the third set, taking a quick 5-1 lead before extending it to as many as seven at the 18-11 mark. The Golden Grizzlies were able to ride out their lead for the 25-18 win.
Wallace, Glover, Fidero and Haney each posted two kills for Auburn in the set. Crouch tallied five digs, followed by Glover with four.
Auburn and Oakland played neck-and-neck in the fourth set. The score was tied 13 times in the set with Oakland taking the largest lead of four at the 11-7 mark. The Tigers bounced back to tie the match again at 13-13, a trend that would continue throughout the rest of the set.
With the score tied at 22-22, Auburn was able to pull away for the first time. Clark came up with a big kill while Crouch picked up her first service ace of the match. Mellor polished off the set with a block, giving Auburn the 25-22 win.
Fidero and Mellor led Auburn with four kills each in the set, followed by Clark with three. Glover had nine digs to lead the Auburn defensive effort.