LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Auburn volleyball team capped a big weekend on the final day of the Kansas Invitational with a 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-23) win over American Saturday afternoon in the Horejsi Family Athletics Center on the campus of Kansas University.
"I was really proud of the way we battled through the second and third sets today," head coach Rick Nold said. "We could have easily been frustrated when things started to go the other way, but we kept fighting and earned a really nice win."
Junior Shaina White came out on fire in the second set and never looked back, finishing with 12 kills on 16 attempts with just one error for a .688 hitting percentage. Freshman Taylor Rowland continued her hot streak at the net, adding 12 kills for Auburn. Freshman setter Mica Allison added 34 assists for the Tigers.
For their efforts, Rowland and Allison were named to the all-tournament team.
"Offensively, we found different ways to be successful throughout the weekend," Nold said. "That's a big tribute to how well Mica ran our offense. Taylor was also a rock for us in every match."
Defensively, Auburn (5-3) limited American to a .167 hitting clip. S. White led the blocking corps with a season-best five blocks. Freshman libero Bella Rosenthall had a match-high 14 digs, while senior Brenna McIlroy had 11 and Allison finished with nine. Junior Karis Beasley tied her career high with three service aces.
American (4-7) had a pair of Eagles in double digits. Aleksandra Kazala and Vela McBride had 11 kills apiece, while setter Kennedy Etheridge totaled 35 assists. Libero Kristen Largay led the team with 10 digs.
American came out hot in the first, jumping ahead at 7-2. The Tigers regrouped after a timeout and began to inch back into the set starting with a kill from Rowland and an ace by Beasley, 11-7 American. A McIlroy kill sent the Tigers on a run to take their first lead at 15-14 and another push by Auburn forced an Eagle timeout, 22-19. Another big McIlroy swing gave AU set point and a sneak attack from Allison put the Tigers ahead in the match with a 25-21 win.
Auburn brought the energy into the second and went up 4-2. The Eagles scratched back and grabbed a lead, but a Tiger run highlighted by three-straight kills from S. White forced an American timeout, 14-13 AU. The Eagles gained momentum late in the set and earned set point, 24-21. However, big swings and a solo block from S. White held off American and the Tigers pushed to take a 26-24 victory.
Kills from McIlroy and Rowland highlighted the start of set three, giving Auburn an 8-4 lead. The Tigers held their advantage throughout the set until another late push from American brought the Eagle to a 20-19 lead. A pair of Tiger errors moved American up at 22-20, forcing an Auburn timeout. The Tigers came out of the break with energy and a kill from McIlroy made it match point, 24-23, and an American error sealed the win, 25-23.
Auburn faces a quick turnaround, traveling to Kennesaw State for a Tuesday night match, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m. CT. The Tigers cap the non-conference slate Sunday, Sept. 16, hosting Florida State in Auburn Arena at 12 p.m. CT.
