AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn volleyball team put an exclamation on the weekend as the Tigers swept Arkansas, 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 30-28), Sunday afternoon in Auburn Arena. The team improved to 10-11 overall and 3-8 in the Southeastern Conference.
"I was really happy with how the team responded this weekend coming off the stretch we've had," head coach Rick Nold said. "We came out with a lot of energy and were disciplined today. Everyone got involved and made plays and it was great to see how we battled."
A trio of Tigers led the team offensively. Senior Brenna McIlroy had a match-high 14 kills, while freshman Tatum Shipes added 12 and a .409 hitting percentage. Sophomore Anna Stevenson finished with 11 kills on 16 attempts with one error for a .625 clip. Freshman setter Mica Allison paced the Auburn offense with 42 assists in the match.
The Auburn blockers totaled eight on the day as Stevenson and Allison led the charge with six a piece. Sophomore Chesney McClellan and McIlroy teamed up for two. The total for Allison tied a career best for the freshman.
The Tiger backrow was led by freshman libero Bella Rosenthall with 17 digs. McIlroy and junior Karis Beasley added eight each.
Arkansas (10-11, 4-7) was led by Elizabeth Pamphile with 10 kills. Setter Rachel Rippee had 19 assists and libero Okiana Valle finished with 17 digs.
Kills from McIlroy and Stevenson lifted Auburn to a 6-4 advantage in the first and a McClellan strike made it 11-7. A kill by Allison and a service ace from McIlroy sent Arkansas into a timeout with Auburn up 19-12 and back-to-back kills from Shipes forced another Razorback break, 22-14. Auburn capped the set with a McIlroy swing, 25-17.
Strong play at the net behind Shipes and Gwyn Jones pushed Auburn to an 8-4 lead in set two. A pair of kills by Stevenson made it 12-9 and a big Stevenson/Allison block pushed the Tigers ahead at 14-10. McClellan/McIlroy teamed up for a stuff with AU up 19-15, sending Arkansas to a timeout. A Stevenson kill then triggered a 4-0 rally for Auburn, 23-16, and the Tigers went up two sets in the match with a 25-20 victory.
The Razorbacks came out in the third with momentum and jumped ahead early. A kill by Shipes sent Auburn on a run to cut the lead Arkansas lead at 9-7 and swing from Jones brought the Tigers within one at 10-9. A Stevenson/Allison block followed by a Stevenson ace sent the home team on a run to go up at 17-16, but the Razorback responded with a three-point swing to take a 22-20 advantage. Auburn battled back to earn match point, 24-23, but Arkansas wasn't through and the teams exchanged points until a kill by McIlroy locked it up at 28-all. Stevenson gave Auburn match point, 29-28, and McIlroy sealed the deal, 30-28.
Auburn remains on the Plains, hosting Texas A&M for a Wednesday-night showdown. The Tigers and the Aggies will go head-to-head on Halloween, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
