Aug. 29, 2017
Related Links
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn volleyball team opened its 2017 home schedule Tuesday night and swept Alabama State, 3-0 (25-11, 29-27, 25-19), in Auburn Arena.
"I'm really happy with the way we fought back in the second set after a sloppy start," head coach Rick Nold said. "ASU is a scrappy team and put us in some tough situations. We need to learn from this and get better for the weekend."
Sophomores Shaina White and Gwyn Jones picked up 10 kills apiece for Auburn (3-1), while freshman Anna Stevenson had nine. Senior Courtney Crable chipped in eight, hitting .467 on the night.
Senior setter Alexa Filley picked up her second double-double of the season, totaling 38 assists and 10 digs. Classmate Jesse Earl led all student-athletes with 13 digs, while Brenna McIlroy and Payton White added nine each.
Krysta Medearis and Briana Dorsey led the Lady Hornets (2-1) with six kills apiece. Ni'yesha Brown had a team-best 10 digs and Payten Clark finished with five blocks.
The Tigers used a long run early in the first to take a 14-5 advantage. A kill from Stevenson and another by Jones sent the team on another lengthy rally to go up by double-digits at 18-8. An ace from P. White followed by a kill from S. White sealed the set, 25-11.
A handful of short runs for the Lady Hornets in the second pushed the visitors to a 13-9 lead and ASU held its advantage throughout most of the set. Kills from S. White and Stevenson tied the set up at 16, but the Lady Hornets rallied again and held set point, 24-21. Another kill from S. White stalled the ASU win and a pair of kills from Crable and McIlroy lifted Auburn to a 25-24 advantage. After exchanging sideouts, a kill from Jones and another by McIlroy gave the Tigers a 29-27 win.
After falling behind early in set three, a run highlighted by a trio of kills from Crable locked it up at nine apiece. The Tigers capitalized on ASU errors and found themselves up 18-11, forcing an ASU timeout. A kill from Jones made it 23-14 and after a rally from the Lady Hornets, McIlroy closed out the match with a strike, 25-19.
The Tigers travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the SEC/ACC Challenge, Sept. 2-3. Auburn opens with a match against nationally-ranked North Carolina Saturday and caps the weekend against North Carolina State Sunday.