Sept. 5, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The Auburn volleyball team defeated George Washington, 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22), in its final match of the Diet Coke Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. The Tigers end the tournament with a 5-2 overall record.
"We knew it was going to be a growing experience for our team and our youth saw what true execution looks like," Wade Benson, head volleyball coach, said on the tournament overall. "I'm happy and proud how our team rebounded and defeated a tough team like George Washington. This tournament gave us something to build on and look forward to in the future."
The two teams kept it close throughout the beginning of the first set and at the 6-6 mark, two-straight kills from Sarah Bullock gave the Tigers a two-point advantage. The Colonials came back with a 4-1 run to take their first lead of the set, 10-9. With George Washington up 18-16, Auburn put together a 9-4 to take the 25-22 win.
Set two saw a similar start as the first, seeing six ties and a pair of lead changes. The Colonials would take a 7-5 lead before the Tigers put together a 6-0 run, highlighted by three service aces from Katherine Culwell. With the help from two service aces from Liz Crouch, Auburn put together a 5-2 run to go up 22-18 and won the set 25-21.
After another close start, George Washington came out with a 4-0 run to take the 10-5 advantage in set three. Kills from Morgan Johns, Alyssa Davis and Lauren Mellor brought Auburn within two at 18-16, but the Colonials held the slim lead and came away with the 25-21 win.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the fourth set and continued to push the score, going up 7-3. A 5-1 run, highlighted by a pair of kills from Davis, gave Auburn its largest at 12-4. The Colonials, however, stormed back and tied the score at 14-14. Down by one at 15-14, the Tigers pushed a 7-1 run with help of three Davis kills to take the 21-16 lead. Auburn went on to win the set with a score of 25-22.
Johns led the squad with a season-high 14 kills, while Fidero added 12 and Davis had a season-best nine kills. Crouch tallied 22 digs in the match
The Colonials were led by Leah Hill, who had 21 kills and 18 digs. Setter Alyssa Valentine finished with 49 assists.
Up next, Auburn plays host to Jacksonville State on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Student Activities Center. The match is set to start at 7 p.m.