Oct. 25, 2009
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn volleyball team improved to 14-8 and 6-5 in conference play with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-21) sweep over Mississippi State on Sunday at the Student Activities Center. The 14 total wins are the most Auburn has recorded this decade and the team's SEC mark is the best start in conference play for the Tigers since the 1999 season.
"We came out strong in the opening set, but the second and third sets were not our best efforts," Chris Campbell, associate head coach, said. "It is good to know that in certain situations we are capable of coming from behind. However, we want to prevent being in that spot to begin with.
"Despite the struggles today, the long term trend is indicating that this program is heading in the right direction," Campbell added.
Leading the way offensively for the Tigers were Sarah Bullock and Morgan Johns. Bullock finished with a match-high 12 kills, while Johns tallied 11 kills and closed the match with a .429 attack percentage. Setter Christina Solverson recorded her fifth double-double of the season, having 25 assists and 11 digs. Katherine Culwell had a match-best 13 digs, while Liz Crouch added 11 digs on the day.
Ashley Newsome led the Bulldogs (5-18, 1-11 SEC) with nine kills, while Ioana Demian finished with six kills and seven blocks. Kayla Woodard had 10 digs and Faith Steinwedell picked up five blocks for MSU.
The Tigers took a quick 6-2 lead in the first set and a kill from Lauren Mellor pushed Auburn to a 10-5 advantage. The Tigers put together a 5-1 run with the help of kills from Bullock, Johns and Culwell to make it 15-6. Another big run by Auburn gave the Tigers the 10-point advantage at 21-11 and facing set-point, a kill from Bullock gave Auburn the 25-14 victory.
Down two early in the second set, MSU pushed a five-point run to take a 7-4 lead. A kill from Bullock and a Bulldog attack error brought Auburn within one at 10-9, but another MSU run gave the Bulldogs a 13-9 advantage. Later in the set and down 19-14, Auburn put together a big rally and a kill from Mellor tied the set at 20 apiece. The Tigers battled through to take the set 25-23.
A kill from Davis helped Auburn open the final set with a 6-3 lead, but MSU tied the set up at seven and the two squads exchanged points until the 11 all mark. The Bulldogs put together a three-point rally to take their first lead of the set at 13-11, but a kill from Jonelle Wallace locked the score at 15-15. Tied at 18, an 8-3 Auburn run gave the Tigers the 25-21 win.
The Tigers take to the road and head to Athens, Ga., for a mid-week SEC match against Georgia at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Auburn then travels to Baton Rouge, La., for a Sunday match at LSU on Nov. 1. Match time is set for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast by Cox Sports Television.