Nov. 19, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Auburn volleyball team entered the third set down two, but came back to take the final three sets and pull of the come-from-behind, 3-2 (21-25, 26-28, 25-19, 25-19, 16-14), win over in-state rival Alabama Friday night.
"I'm really proud of how the team fought back tonight after having a tough week of practice," head coach Wade Benson said. "This team showed they still have fight in them and I'm really excited about that."
The Tigers improved to 18-12 on the season and 9-9 in the Southeastern Conference. The 18 total wins and nine conference wins are the most for the team since the 1998 season for the Tigers. The two-match sweep of Alabama this season is the first time for Auburn since 1999.
"Being behind most of the fifth set and to climb back with big plays for the sweep of Alabama is great," Benson said. "I'm very proud of all the accomplishments the team has had this season."
Senior Morgan Johns put together the best performance of her career as she finished with 24 kills and hit a scorching .488 for the Tigers. Sophomore Sarah Bullock tallied 16 kills and nine digs, while senior libero Liz Crouch had a match-best 17 digs.
Junior setter Christina Solverson had a career-best 38 assists, while finishing with nine digs. Freshmen Camila Jersonsky had seven kills on the night and Jonelle Wallace and Kelly Fidero finished with five and four kills, respectively.
Alabama (10-18, 2-16 SEC) was led by Kayla Fitterer as she finished with 20 kills and 10 digs. Alyssa Meuth tallied 16 kills, while setter Kayla Schmidt recorded 29 assists and 10 digs.
The Tigers took a 3-2 lead on a kill by Jersonsky in the first set, but an Alabama four-point rally pushed the Crimson Tide to a 7-4 advantage. Alabama held on to its slim lead throughout the middle parts of the set until a service ace from Solverson cut the Alabama lead at 22-19. The home team, however, closed out the set with a 25-21 win.
Alabama opened the second set on a 4-2 run and held its lead during the first parts of the set. At 15-13 Crimson Tide, a kill from Fidero triggered a three-point Tiger rally to give Auburn the 16-15 advantage. Alabama utilized a run of its own to take a 21-17 lead, but the Tigers battled back with the help of two kills by Johns to lock the set at 22 apiece. The two teams went back and forth to the very end until the Crimson Tide used a two-point run to win 28-26.
Alabama and Auburn battled at the start of the third set until, down a point at 6-5, the Tigers pushed seven-point rally to go up 12-6. A kill by Wallace and Bullock put Auburn ahead at 14-7 and a pair of kills and a block by Johns gave the Tigers an 18-11 advantage. A solo block by Jersonsky and a kill from Vesela Zapryanova closed out the set, 25-19 Auburn.
The Tigers opened the fourth set on a 4-0 run highlighted by a pair of kills by Bullock. The Crimson Tide answered with a four-point rally to lock the set at five apiece. A kill by Wallace and a pair of kills from Bullock pushed Auburn ahead at 11-7 and a pair of kills from Johns gave the Tigers a 14-9 advantage. A pair of Alabama kills brought the home team within two at 17-15, but Auburn held on to take the set 25-19.
The fifth and final set proved to be a battle between the two squads as the teams fought for a significant lead at the start. The Crimson Tide pushed a three-point run to go up 10-7, but the Tigers answered with a run of their own to lock the set at 10 apiece. A kill by Johns and a pair of kills from Fidero closed out the match as the Tigers won 16-14.
The Tigers conclude the weekend Sunday in Starkville as the team takes on the Mississippi Bulldogs in a 1:30 p.m. match. Live stats are available and can be found on Auburn volleyball's schedule website. Also, get in-match updates by following AUVolleyball on Twitter.