AUBURN, Ala. – Behind another strong blocking performance at the net, Auburn volleyball (4-0) remained unbeaten as the Tigers swept Southeastern Louisiana (0-5) in straight sets (25-14, 25-10, 25-20) Friday night at Auburn Arena.
Tonight's victory marked the first time the Tigers have started as season 4-0 since 2015. It also marked the first time Auburn has swept four straight to open a season since 2009.
The Tigers held Southeastern Louisiana to a .050 attack percentage with help from 10.5 total team blocks. Senior Tatum Shipes led the charge at the net with a career high eight blocks. Shipes also chipped in four kills for the Tigers.
The combo of junior Rebekah Rath and graduate student Liz Reich combined for four blocks apiece.
Rath continued to pace the Auburn offense as she matched her season high output in kills with 16. Rath has now recorded double-digit kills in four straight matches and currently leads the Southeastern Conference in kills per set and points per set.
Also matching her season high in kills, Reich totaled 13 on a .458 hitting percentage.
Sophomore Jackie Barrett handled setting duties for the Tigers, dishing out 28 assists. Barrett led the Auburn offense to a .300 team hitting percentage. Barrett recorded six digs, a pair of blocks and added three kills to match her career high.
Strong at the service line, the Tigers matched their season high in aces with six. Barrett led the charge with two.
Senior Bella Rosenthall turned in her fourth straight match with double-digit digs as the libero recorded a match-leading 16. Freshman Fallan Lanham set her career high with 10 digs.
SET ONE
It was all Tigers early as a pair of Reich kills got Auburn out to a 4-2 lead. With freshman Kate Curtis at the service line, Auburn went on a 7-0 run that featured three Rath kills to put the Tigers up, 11-4. Auburn took advantage of SLU errors and combined for a pair of blocks to push the lead to 22-13. Rath ultimately put the set away with an ace, 25-14.
SET TWO
With senior Val Green at the service line, the Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a pair of kills from both Reich and Rath. After SLU was able to get on the board, Shipes was key at the net to shut down the Lady Lions offense with back-to-back blocks. The Tigers strung together a few late runs to cruise to a 25-10 set victory. Auburn's defense held SLU to an .000 attack percentage in the set.
SET THREE
The Lady Lions took an early three-point lead in set three, forcing the Tigers to battle from behind. Reich put Auburn in front 9-8 with a timely kill. The Tigers then went on a 3-0 run with help of a block from Reich and senior Elif Su Yavuz to build some breathing room. Rath came on strong midway through the set with three straight kills to put Auburn up 15-11 and force an SLU timeout. The Lady Lions chipped into the Tiger lead but was hindered by late errors. Shipes put the match away with a perfectly placed kill in the backcourt for a 25-20 set victory.
UP NEXT
Auburn continues its home stand with a pair of midweek matches. The Tigers will host New Orleans on Wednesday before welcoming North Alabama to Auburn Arena on Thursday. Both matches are set for 6 p.m. CT starts and will be streamed via SEC Network+.
Tigers remain undefeated with sweep of Southeastern Louisiana
Liz Reich goes up for an attack at the net.