AUBURN, Ala. – Six up, six down. Auburn wasted little time on Saturday sweep through both McNeese, 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-22) and Jacksonville State, 3-0 (25-12, 25-11, 26-24) to capture its second and third victories of the year.
For the third time in as many seasons under head coach Brent Crouch, the Tigers begin the season 3-0.
GAME 1
For the first time in 2023, Auburn was able to break out the brooms, sweeping McNeese State 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-22) for a second consecutive victory to open the season.
Head coach Brent Crouch couldn't have asked for a better opening set. Senior setter Jackie Barrett had the offense firing on all cylinders, leading the Orange and Blue to a .536 hitting percentage and letting the likes of Akasha Anderson, Bella Bell, Kendal Kemp and Bel Zimmerman go to work.
Of Auburn's 28 swings in the first set, there was only a single error. Anderson led the way with five kills with Bell right behind with four. Kemp, Bell and Zimmerman made sure to keep the Tiger block going as well, each sending back McNeese attacks.
With the lead in hand, Anderson took over the second stanza. Six kills and an ace fueled the sophomore and her team to another strong showing. Following 16 kills a night ago, Anderson would finish Saturday morning with 14 more on .257 hitting and tied her career-high with four aces.
Defensively, it was a team effort for Crouch's squad. Anderson led the way with a team-high eight digs but Zoe Slaughter and Jackie Barrett added six apiece and Sarah Morton contributed five of her own. By the end of the night, Auburn piled up eight blocks with 2022 record-holder Kendal Kemp leading the charge with five, including two solo efforts.
The Cowgirls challenged the Tigers in the third frame, climbing out to a lead of as many as four. However, Bella Bell and co. had no intention of playing another set. Bell's five kills and Anderson's three aces were enough to swing the momentum back to the Orange and Blue. The three-set sweep solidified a second-straight win for Auburn.
GAME 2
Two matches in the span of nine hours could not deter Auburn from a second-straight sweep of the day as the Tigers knocked off in-state foe Jacksonville State, 3-0 (25-12, 25-11, 26-24).
Saturday night simply belonged to transfer Bella Bell.
The Blythewood, South Carolina native could not miss, literally. Bell slammed home nine kills on 12 swings for a resounding .750 hitting percentage.
Akasha Anderson picked up where she left off in the morning against McNeese State. After compiling 30 kills in her opening two matches, Anderson added six quick ones to open the first set. Combined with stout serving runs from Sarah Morton, Zoe Slaughter and Fallan Lanham, the Tigers were off and running.
As a team, Auburn hit .333. Three blocks and 11 digs helped hold the Gamecocks to just .038 hitting and gave the Orange and Blue the 1-0 lead.
It was more of the same in the second set as senior setter Jackie Barrett had the offense on cruise control. Anderson, Bell, Kyla Swanson, Kendal Kemp and Bel Zimmerman each tallied two kills.
Two aces from Lanham and one apiece from Anderson and Zimmerman allowed Auburn to double its advantage over Jacksonville State.
Jacksonville State was determined not to head home empty-handed. In the third set, the Gamecocks rallied for a .324 hitting percentage and dialed up three aces. JSU led by as many as three late in the set and even had a set point.
In classic Auburn fashion, though, the Tigers conjured one last run as Anderson and Madison Scheer put the match away, delivering the fans a second sweep of the day.
MATCH NOTES
GAME 1
- Auburn hit north of .300 for the second straight match. The last time the Tigers hit over .300 in back-to-back matches was Sept. 16 & 17 when the team matched up against Southern Miss and Jackson State.
- Both Akasha Anderson (14) and Bella Bell (11) reach double-figure kill totals for the second straight match
- Anderson's four aces tie a career-high.
- Auburn held McNeese to .097 hitting. It was the first time the Tigers held an opponent below .100 since playing North Florida on Sept. 11, 2022
GAME 2
- Auburn hit .395, marking the third straight match the Tigers have hit over .300, marking the first time the team has done so in the Brent Crouch era
- Akasha Anderson (10 kills) reached double-digits for the third straight match to open the season
- Fallan Lanham's 11 digs were a season-high and the most since grabbing 14 last season against Texas A&M
- Bel Zimmerman's three aces tied her career-best
- Brent Crouch is now 22-3 overall and 9-0 at Auburn in the month of August
UP NEXT
The Tigers hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Tallahassee, Florida to take on the Seminoles and SMU on Sept. 2 and Sept. 3.