AUBURN, Ala. – In a dramatic reverse sweep inside a raucous Neville Arena, Auburn (11-1, 1-0) took down No. 12 Kentucky (6-6, 0-1) for the first time since 2010, 3-2 (21-25, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20, 18-16).
Early on, it was clear that head coach Brent Crouch’s crew was up to the challenge, facing its third top-20 opponent of the season. Neither team led by more than two points right up until the pair were deadlocked at 21 apiece.
The Tigers’ defense showed up early and often on Friday evening. Madison Scheer, Chesley McCurdy and Grace Havlicek each jumped into the fray as Auburn recorded four rejections in the opening frame.
Meanwhile, setters Kalei Edson and Peyton Dunner were busy directing a balanced offense that saw Scheer lead the way with three kills while Lauren Dreves, Bella Bell and Bel Zimmerman each collected two.
A 4-0 run from the Wildcats, though, put the first set on ice.
Kentucky’s offense powered its way through the second stanza, hitting .409 and outblocking the Orange and Blue 3-1. Even though Scheer added four more kills to her total and Bell secured three of her own, it wasn’t enough as Auburn faced a tough uphill climb.
However, the Tigers were more than up to the challenge. No panic, no fear, no nerves, Auburn regrouped and resettled to flip the script in set No. 3.
Dunn and Edson set out to orchestrate a .385 hitting percentage in the third frame, behind Scheer’s four kills.
The Eureka, Missouri native finished her evening with a team-high 17 kills on a .342 hitting percentage.
Defensively, an Orange and Blue wall between McCurdy, Bell, Scheer, Zimmerman and Havlicek stacked up four more blocks while Alexis Dacosta chased down five crucial digs. The Tigers held Kentucky to just .152 hitting and put some life into the more than 2,000 fans on hand to win set three, 25-16.
With momentum swinging the way of the home side, Auburn never let off the gas. Eyeing a soft spot in the middle of the court, the Tiger setters put the ball in the hands of McCurdy and Havlicek. McCurdy, the graduate, bounced four kills while Havlicek, the freshman, rocketed down three.
Another hitting percentage north of .360, coupled with Dunn’s ace and Dacosta’s six digs held the Wildcats to just .167, sending the match into a deciding fifth set.
Seemingly, the only mistakes Auburn made in the fifth were self-inflicted. Scheer, Dreves, Bell, Zimmerman and McCurdy each tallied a pair of kills and combined for another hitting percentage above .300.
Bella Bell, the Kentucky transfer, ended the evening with 12 kills on an astounding .435 hitting percentage and added four blocks.
As the match drifted into extra points, the Tigers needed to lean on its defense one last time. And one last time, Auburn answered the call.
After a Bell kill saved match point, Scheer and Havlicek combined for the Tigers’ 14th block of the night.
They would need one more.
Havlicek, this time with Bell, stuffed the final point to give Auburn its second top-15 win of the season and start SEC play on the right foot.
Match Notes…
>> Auburn picks up its second top-15 win of the season, previously beating then-No. 15 Florida State on Sept. 8
>> The ranked win is the ninth in program history and the fourth under head coach Brent Crouch
>> The Tigers' win over Kentucky was its first since 2010, also a five-set match on the Plains
>> Auburn’s 15 blocks were the second most this season and the seventh time the team has eclipsed 10 in a match
>> The 2,091 fans inside Neville Arena goes down as the eighth-most in program history
>> Madson Scheer (17 kills) has reached double digits in nine matches in 2024
>> Bella Bell (12 kills) reached double digits for the second straight match and her .435 hitting percentage was a season-high
>> Peyton Dunn’s 27 assists tied her season-high
>> Chelsey McCurdy’s 11 kills were a season-best
>> Alexis Dacosts (18) reached double digits for the eighth time this season
>> Grace Havlicek’s 10 blocks were a new career-high for the freshman
What Crouch had to say…
Opening statement…
“Great win! The best part about it was after we were down, 0-2, the group understood that they were better than what we showed in the first two sets. We could have rolled over and died. In previous years, that’s kind of happened with Kentucky. They’ve been at the top. Beating them has been a long time coming. We’ve been moving up, as you know, but I really thought those last three sets, the way that we played, the best team won.”
Bella Bell, Gr, Right Side
On beating her old team…
“I can’t even describe it right now. I had to beat them at least once. We were unfortunate last year to lose to them, so there was no other option but to beat them this year. I think everyone was on the same page as me. That was some of the cleanest volleyball we’ve ever played. We followed the scouting report flawlessly. I’m so excited for what the future holds. That was a great way to start SEC play.”