Sept. 23, 2012
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AUBURN, Ala. - Senior Sarah Bullock recorded her 1,000th career dig, and Courtney McDonald and Chloe Rowand posted career-highs in blocks as the Auburn volleyball team defeated archrival Alabama for the sixth consecutive time, 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18) Sunday afternoon before 1,146 fans at the Student Activities Center.
Auburn (12-2, 3-1 SEC) has surpassed its win total from the 2011 season - the Tigers went 11-19 last season - just two weeks into conference play. The Tigers controlled every statistical category in the match, out-hitting Alabama (12-4, 1-3 SEC) .287 to .171, amassing 62 kills to Alabama's 47, and winning the digs battle, 69-55.
"I'm really happy with today's win," Auburn head coach Rick Nold said. "We didn't pass the best early in the match. I think we had to figure some ways to get them out of system. But we've been doing a good job lately of making adjustments on the (opponent) defensively. In games three and four, we made the changes we needed to, and we were able to go on some runs.
Sunday's crowd of 1,146 was the third-biggest in Auburn history and the second straight match against Alabama to top the 1,000-fan mark. The near-record crowd was witness to the Tigers' sixth straight victory over Alabama, Auburn's second-longest winning streak in the series that dates back to 1974. Auburn won 10 straight over the Tide from 1995-99.
"It's a big thing for us to have a big crowd like we did today," Nold said. "A big crowd pumps up our team when they're struggling a bit and can propel them forward. That kind of crowd, it makes a big difference for us."
Bullock became the fifth player in Auburn history to amass 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career as she recorded 16 kills and 15 digs today. Her 10th dig of the afternoon, which came in the third set, moved her into the 1,000-1,000 club, and her new career total of 1,005 digs moves her into seventh all-time at Auburn. Bullock also had five blocks in the match (3 assist, 2 solo).
"Obviously, we're proud of her for getting to 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs," Nold said. "We expect a lot of her. We rely on her for a lot of different things. For a setter to know you've always got someone like her to go to, it's pretty comforting. I thought she took advantage of the opportunities that were there, and she kept us in system, which was what we needed."
Auburn's blocking was outstanding as the Tigers stuffed 15 Alabama attempts, tying the school record for team blocks in a four-set match. The Tigers previously had 15 blocks in a four-set loss to Tennessee last season. McDonald had a career-high nine blocks, the most in a single match by an Auburn player since Jersonsky had nine in Auburn's 2010 NCAA Tournament win over Missouri State. Rowand had a career-high seven. Katherine Culwell had two solo blocks, and Camila Jersonsky was involved in two blocks as well.
"We had some game plans coming in," Nold said. "In games one and two, we didn't really do a good job of executing. But we tried to keep reiterating the same things over and over. A lot of times, it's just trying to get comfort with a team. It took a little longer today than it did Friday (against South Carolina), but once we made that adjustment, they trusted it and started making some big plays."
Three other Auburn players recorded double-digit kills. Culwell had her second straight double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs, Camila Jersonsky finished with 12 kills, and McDonald posted 10 kills. Junior Chelsea Wintzinger led Auburn with a season-high 35 assists, and Sarah Wroblicky had a match-high 17 digs.
Alabama was led by Laura Steiner with 12 kills and Andrea McQuaid with 15 digs.
Auburn took the first set 25-19 after hitting .375 in the set on the strength of 17 kills and just five errors. Culwell had six kills and six digs in the set. The Tigers gained the first advantage 13-9 after a 4-0 run forced an Alabama timeout, and Auburn never looked back, moving ahead 20-12. Alabama would cut the margin to 23-19, but kills from McDonald and Wintzinger put the first set away.
Alabama's serving and passing controlled the second set as the Tide took a 25-23 win to knot the match at a set apiece. Auburn fell in an early hole as Alabama's service game took the Tigers out of system, but they fought back to tie the score at 13-13-. But from there, Alabama went on a 5-1 run to take an 18-14 lead and then had four set point tries at 24-20. Auburn fought off three straight to cut it to a one-point game at 24-23, but a kill from Katherine White gave the Tide the second-set win.
The Tigers went back on top with a 25-21 win in set three where Auburn hit a robust .423 (15 kills, 4 errors). Five kills from Bullock and three each from Rowand and Jersonsky, along with three block assists from Rowand and McDonald, gave Auburn an early advantage and held off a couple of late Alabama rallies. After four ties and two lead changes early, Auburn pulled ahead to an 18-14 lead before Alabama cut it to a one-point game at 21-20 with a 7-3 run. A block from Rowand and McDonald plus a kill from Bullock made it 23-20, and a kill from Jersonsky gave Auburn a set point try. The Tigers took a 2-1 lead when an Alabama service error ended the set.
Auburn had seven total blocks in the first three sets but went wild in the fourth with eight team blocks, taking a 25-18 win to clinch the match. A 6-0 run that included three straight points from McDonald - two blocks and a kill - gave Auburn a 13-6 lead. Alabama would get no closer than six points the rest of the way. In the fourth set alone, McDonald had five block assists, Rowand had four, Bullock had one solo and one assist, and Culwell had two solo blocks. All eight Alabama hitting errors in the set were the result of Auburn blocks as the Tiger defense held the Tide to an .027 hitting percentage in the final game.
The Tigers hit the road again next weekend for two more Southeastern Conference matches. Auburn will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to face Arkansas on Friday, Sept. 28, and then a trip to Lexington awaits the Tigers for a showdown with Kentucky on Sunday, Sept. 30.