Nov. 5, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn volleyball team hosted South Carolina Friday evening and recorded a three-set sweep, 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-13), over the Gamecocks at the Student Activities Center. The Tigers improved to 17-10 overall and 8-7 in the Southeastern Conference.
"It feels great to get back on the winning track," head coach Wade Benson said. "We are happy to be back at home and really proud of this win. We're now looking forward to Sunday's televised match against Florida."
Sophomore Sarah Bullock finished with her seventh double-double of the season, tallying 12 kills and 13 digs for Auburn. Sophomore Katherine Culwell had 10 kills, while senior Morgan Johns finished with seven. Junior Christina Solverson had a team-best 23 assists.
Defensively, senior libero Liz Crouch recorded 15 digs on the night and Solverson had eight. Freshman Chelsea Wintzinger finished with six digs, while senior Lauren Mellor had a match-best four blocks.
South Carolina (5-19, 2-12 SEC) was led by Juliette Thevenin, who recorded 10 kills and a match-high 17 digs. Frankie Vain and Hannah Lawing each had seven kills for the Gamecocks and setter Jordan Bradosky finished with 26 assists.
The Tigers kicked off the first set with a 5-2 run highlighted by a pair of kills from Culwell and senior Alyssa Davis. South Carolina battled back to tie the set at nine apiece, but Auburn followed with a 4-1 rally to take a 15-12 lead. The Tigers closed out the set 10-6 run to win 25-18.
Set two saw the two teams play evenly at the start until South Carolina pushed a 5-1 run with the score locked at five to take a 10-6 advantage. The Gamecocks held their lead throughout the middle parts of the set. Down 16-13, Auburn rallied to tie the set at 18-18 and the two squads battled to a 21-21 score. A kill from Davis put the Tigers up 22-21 and kills from Vesela Zapryanova and Johns highlighted the Tigers final push as Auburn won the set 25-23.
Auburn opened the final set with a 5-2 lead and continued on to go up at 11-4. A kill by Kelly Fidero gave the Tigers a 14-7 advantage and kills by Zapryanova and Bullock pushed Auburn to an 18-8 lead. The Tigers concluded the match on a 7-5 run as a kill from Chloe Rowand solidified a 25-13 victory.
Auburn closes out the weekend with a 1 p.m. match against No. 1 Florida Sunday at the Student Activities Center. The Tigers and the Gators are set to face off on national television as the match will be broadcast live by CSS.