Volleyball knocks off Cal State Fullerton to pick up third straight sweep

AUBURN, Ala. – In a tightly contested match that saw each set decided by four points or less, Auburn volleyball dug deep for its third sweep in a row as the Tigers knocked off Cal State Fullerton (25-22, 25-23, 25-21) Thursday night at Auburn Arena.

"I really liked the mental toughness shown tonight to win three sets in a row all with tight scores until the red zone," said head coach Brent Crouch. "We pulled away in the end when it mattered."

Tonight's victory marked the first time since 2009 that Auburn has started a season with three straight sweeps.

Junior Rebekah Rath recorded her third straight match with double-digit kills as she closed the night tying her season high with 16. Rath picked up her first double-double as a Tiger as she added 10 digs. She also recorded the lone Tiger ace of the match.

Graduate student Liz Reich also closed the night in double figures as she hit an efficient .409 with 11 kills. It marked her second straight match with 10+ kills. Reich also recorded a block in Thursday's match. Senior Val Green recorded a season-high 11 kills and picked up a pair of blocks.

Sophomore Jackie Barrett and freshman Jordan Sinness, making her collegiate debut, split time at setter for the Tigers. Barrett dished out 16 assists while recording five digs and a block. Sinness also picked up 16 helpers. She closed the night with six digs and a block.

Defensively, libero Bella Rosenthall led the team with 17 digs. She has totaled double-digit digs in all three matches to start the season. At the net, the Tigers total five blocks and with help of costly Fullerton errors held the Titans to a .185 hitting percentage.

SET ONE
After trading points in the early stages, Cal State Fullerton found rhythm and pulled away with a five-point lead midway through the match, 13-8. A pair of kills from Elif Yavuz and Tatum Shipes and three straight attack errors from Fullerton forced a Titan timeout as the Tigers cut the lead to 14-13. The Tigers kept the match within two in the late stages before Reich came in hot with back-to-back kills to put the Tigers in front 21-20. Rath put the match away with a service ace as the Tigers won 25-22.
 
SET TWO
It was back and forth early on in set two as the teams traded points for four ties before Fullerton went on a 4-0 run to hold 10-7 advantage. The Tigers would string together a run of their own with a block from Yavuz and kills from Rath and Reich. Fullerton would come from behind with help of a pair of kills to take a 19-16 advantage and force Tiger timeout. Green recorded three straight kills out of the timeout to help propel Auburn o the 25-23 victory.
 
SET THREE
Similar to the early sets, the final stanza also featured the two squads trading points early on before a pair of Rath kills and Fullerton errors put the Tigers up 13-11. Wide attacks by the Titans proved costly as the Tigers jumped out to a 20-15 lead and forced a final Fullerton timeout. The Tigers were able to put the set away, 25-21, with help of timely kills from Yavuz and Rath.

UP NEXT
The Tigers return to the court Friday night to face Southeastern Louisiana at 7:30 p.m. CT to round out this week's tournament play.