Oct. 17, 2010
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Auburn volleyball team concluded its weekend road trip with a three-set sweep, 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-16), over South Carolina on Sunday at the Volleyball Competition Facility. The Tigers improved to 15-7 overall and 6-4 in the Southeastern Conference with the victory.
"It was mature win against a South Carolina team that plays hard and plays a different style of volleyball," head coach Wade Benson said. "I think we handled them well and bounced back from a tough Florida match on Friday. We're excited to get back home next week."
The team put together strong defensive performances at the net, tying a school record with 15 blocks in the three-set win. Senior Lauren Mellor had a season-high seven blocks to lead the Tigers, while classmate Alyssa Davis had six on the day.
Sophomore Sarah Bullock finished with 11 kills and three blocks, while Morgan Johns finished with eight kills and five blocks. Senior libero Liz Crouch had a team-high 16 digs and setters Christina Solverson and Chelsea Wintzinger tallied 16 and 10 assists, respectively.
South Carolina (4-15, 1-8 SEC) was led by Christina Glover and Olivia Ryder as each finished with six kills on the day. Libero Hannah Lawing had a match-high 18 digs and setter Taylor Bruns finished with 14 assists.
The Tigers fell behind at the start of set one, 4-1, but a Gamecock error and a kill by Johns triggered a 10-point Auburn rally that gave the Tigers an 11-4 advantage. Kills by Mellor and Bullock pushed the Auburn lead to 14-5 and a kill by Davis lifted the Tigers to an 18-8 lead. A block by Mellor and Fidero solidified the 25-13 first-set win.
The two squads battled early in the second set until South Carolina used a two-point run to go up 6-4. A Gamecock service error and a block by Davis and Johns locked the set at nine and a kill and service ace by Mellor gave the Tigers a 16-14 lead. Tied at 17 apiece, Auburn pushed a four-point run to go up 21-17 and the Tigers finished the set with a 25-19 win.
Auburn opened the third set on a 5-1 run, but the Gamecocks fought back to cut the Tiger lead at one, 7-6. Locked at nine apiece, a kill by Bullock set off a three-point Auburn rally to make the score 12-9 in favor of the Tigers. South Carolina continued to battle and tied the set at 13-13, but back-to-back Auburn blocks and a Gamecock error pushed the Tigers to a 17-13 lead. Auburn rattled off the last six points to win the set 25-16.
The Tigers return to the Student Activities Center for a pair of SEC West match ups. Auburn faces Arkansas on Oct. 22 in a 7 p.m. match and follows with a 1:30 p.m. match on Oct. 24 against nationally-ranked LSU.