BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – When Auburn Volleyball needed to dig down and find an extra gear, the Tigers answered the call.
In its first five-set match of the season, Auburn (6-0, 0-0) kept its undefeated streak to begin the season alive with a thrilling 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 15-7) over UAB (3-4, 0-0).
Head coach Brent Crouch's crew battled throughout the opening set. With sophomore setter Jordan Sinness dictating the offense, her freshmen hitters were enjoying the wealth.
Akasha Anderson collected five quick kills to lead the Tigers in the opening frame with Madison Scheer close behind with four and Kendal Kemp racking up three.
Even as the Blazers edged out to an eight-point advantage, it was the serving effort of Anderson that brought life back into her team. Anderson piled up three aces as the Tigers ripped off six straight to force a timeout from the home side. And even though UAB would close out the set, the momentum Auburn gained paid dividends moving forward.
Sinness' offense began to find its rhythm in the second. Anderson racked up four more kills on 11 swings and Bel Zimmerman added four of her own.
Defensively, Auburn kept the Blazers from running out of site. Three timely blocks along with a bevy of digs from Zoe Slaughter and Sarah Morton kept UAB to just .128 hitting to draw the match level.
Morton and Slaughter both ended the evening with career highs in digs with 18 and 14, respectively.
Everything began to gel in the third set.
Anderson's big night continued with another four kills. By night's end, the Reston, Virginia native would finish with career-highs in kills (24), digs (14) and aces (4) for her first career double-double.
While Anderson was doing her thing, it was Auburn's blocking effort that truly turned the tides in the third. Led by Chelsey Harmon, the Tigers turned back seven UAB attacks in the third set alone to take the lead, 2-1.
The Blazers weren't going to go away easy, though. Revving back up to a .318 hitting percentage, UAB was able to create separation from the Tigers and force a decisive fifth set.
From the moment Auburn came out of the huddle, they had no intention of dropping the fifth set. With Fallan Lanham and Sarah Morton at the service line, the Tigers seemed virtually unstoppable. The two combined for three aces as the Orange and Blue darted out to a commanding 7-1.
Lead in hand, there was no way Akasha Anderson was going to let up. Dealing the final blow with her 24th kill of the night, Auburn capped off its most dramatic victory to remain undefeated and equal the effort of the 2021 squad that also started 6-0.
MATCH NOTES
- Friday marked Auburn's first five-set match of the season. Brent Crouch is now 31-28 in five setters over his career with a 4-6 mark at Auburn
- The last time the Tigers won in five sets was on Nov. 5 against Texas A&M
- Auburn begins the season 6-0, equaling the start of 2021. A win on Saturday would give the Tigers its best start since 2012
- Akasha Anderson ended with career-highs in kills (24), digs (14) and aces (4)
- Anderson also recorded her first double-double of her career
- Sarah Morton piled up a career-best 18 kills and reached the double-digit mark in five of the six matches she's played
- Fallan Lanham's four aces were a career-high
- Kendal Kemp's nine kills were a career-best
- Zoe Slaughter's 14 digs were a career-high
- Jordan Sinness ended with career-highs in assists (42) and blocks (5.0).
- Chelsey Harmon's seven kills were a season-high with the Tigers.
CROUCH'S COMMENTS
"I thought it was a huge step forward. I could see our young players growing up on the court. This is the best team that we've played so far this year. They were experienced and something different that we haven't seen before. I think we took our foot off the gas a little in the fourth. We gave up a lot of points on errors but by the time it came to the fifth, it was just go.
"We had our two best servers at the line and you could just see the confidence. They were not losing that set."
On Akasha Anderson's big night
"Akasha definitely made a huge statement tonight. It's taken five matches to get comfortable and now she getting big kills when it matters most. She has a world-class arm and is one of the hardest hitters in the country. It's fun to watch."