FORT WORTH, Texas – The Auburn volleyball team utilized a balanced effort to push past Miami, 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 26-24, 25-18), in the ADD-RAN Cup Saturday afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas.
"I thought our players did a good job coming in and understanding the game plan," head coach Rick Nold said. "We were able to push the middle more than we have in the past. We're happy getting that win, but I think there's a lot that we can improve on."
Sophomore Tatum Shipes finished with her third double-double of the season leading the Tigers with 13 kills, while also adding 10 digs, three blocks and a pair of aces.
"Tatum did a really nice job of picking the defense apart a little bit," Nold added. "She handled the ball, played defense and really did a little bit of everything for us today."
Sophomore Val Green was right behind Shipes with 10 kills, while senior Enija Bidzane added nine. Rounding out the offensive attack was senior Shaina White and junior Chesney McClellan, who both chipped in seven.
Sophomore Marissa Hines also finished with her third double-double of the season, totaling 37 assists and 13 digs. Junior Payton White collected 20 or more digs for the third time this season, pacing Auburn with 21.
Auburn (4-3) wraps up play in the Lone Star State with a match against host TCU on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. The action can be seen on Fox Sports Southwest+.
SET ONE
Auburn started fast, taking a 7-3 advantage in the first stanza. The Tigers pushed their lead to seven with a pair of Hurricane errors and a kill from Shipes to go up 13-6. Miami capitalized on a handful of Tiger errors to tie the set at 17-all. After a timeout from Auburn, the two teams exchanged points before an ace from P. White gave the Tigers set point. Shipes closed it with a sneaky tip to give Auburn the opening set, 25-22.
SET TWO
Auburn and Miami went back-and-forth in the second with neither team building more than a one-point advantage until an ace from Shipes put the Tigers up 13-11. Two-straight Hurricane errors pushed the Tiger lead to four at 21-17. Miami drew within one at 24-23, but Shipes once again closed the set with a kill to give Auburn a 2-0 lead in the match.
SET THREE
The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead as a kill from Bidzane highlighted the run. Miami, however, answered with a 5-0 push. Back-to-back kills from Green gave Auburn the lead at 13-11, and two more Hurricane errors assisted Auburn in building a four-point edge. Miami once again fought back and went on to take the set, 26-24.
SET FOUR
Auburn swung .394, committing just three attack errors in the final stanza. A 6-0 run in the middle of the set blew the fourth open for the Tigers as Bidzane picked up two of her nine kills during the push to put Auburn up, 17-11. A big swing from McClellan gave the Tigers match point at 24-18. Serving for just the second time this season, Green went down the line on the right side of the court for Auburn's eighth ace of the match to seal the win.