AUBURN, Ala. – Behind a season-high 17 blocks and 76 digs, Auburn (6-0, 0-0) held Florida State (4-1, 0-0) to just .124 hitting to secure its first top-25 victory in Neville Arena since 2015, 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-20).
Out of the gates, it was clear the Seminoles wanted to run fast early and often. FSU hit its best percentage in the first set (.250) and still, the Tigers were right on their heels.
Three kills apiece from Madison Scheer, Lauren Dreves and Bella Bell, combined with 3.5 total team blocks had the set tied at 20-20. Even though Florida State managed a mini-run to grab breathing room and win the opening frame, Brent Crouch’s crew remained confident they’d still have the upper hand.
Auburn’s gigantic front row of Chelsey McCurdy, Emma Moore and Bella Bell started to find their rhythm in set No. 2. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ back row began to come alive as well.
Dreves, the freshman from Vancouver, Washington was seemingly everywhere on Sunday. Eight of her 17 digs came in the second set. Peyton Dunn added six of her own and libero Alexis Dacosta ran down another five. Dreves would finish with 11 kills and 17 digs to mark the first double-double of her career.
On the offensive side of things, Madison Scheer was busy doing Madison Scheer things. The Eureka, Missouri product stacked seven kills on her 17 swings. She’d finish with a team-high 15.
All totaled, Auburn held Florida State’s high-powered offense to .125 hitting and evened the match a one set all.
The third set was as balanced as they come for the Tigers.
Dunn and Kalei Edson orchestrated an offense that saw four kills from Bel Zimmerman, four from Bella Bella and another three from Scheer. Auburn’s setting duo also claimed the set’s two aces for the Orange and Blue
Scheer, Bell, Moore, Zimmerman and McCurdy all tallied blocks while Dacosta captained a back row that chased down 18 digs. By the end of the set, Florida State was hitting its lowest percentage of the match (.054) and gave Auburn a 2-1 advantage.
There would be no letup in the fourth.
With the crowd (1,511) and momentum on its side, Auburn stuck to the game plan to finish off the upset.
Another balanced attack was bolstered by the front row’s best effort blocking-wise. Scheer and Moore each rejected four Seminole attempts, Zimmerman and McCurdy grabbed a pair of block assists and Bella Bell finished her seven-block afternoon with one solo effort.
The deciding point was a fitting example of what Auburn Volleyball is in 2024. As Dreves and the defense kept the play alive, Emma Moore created something out of nothing to tap down the final kill for the Tigers’ upset victory, 3-1.
Match Notes
>> Auburn improves to 6-0 on the season, its best start since setting the program record (14-0) in 2022
>> The Tigers 17 blocks were a season-high and tied for the fifth-most in a single match in program history
>> Auburn is now 21-3 over the past two seasons when managing a hitting percentage of .200 or higher
>> The Tigers are also 20.2 when holding its opponents to .200 or lower
>> Madison Scheer’s seven blocks were a career-high for the junior
>> Lauren Dreves’ 11 kills set a new career best and matched with her 18 digs, marked her first career double-double
>> Bella Bell’s seven blocks were a season-high
>> Kalei Edson’s three aces set a new career-best
>> Emma Moore’s eight blocks were a new career-high
>> Peyton Dunn (23 assists, 11 digs) recorded her second double-double of the season
>> Alexis Dacosta (19 digs) has now reached double digits in each of the five matches she’s played in as a Tiger
What Crouch had to Say
Opening Statement…
“It’s a great win! I challenged the team after the first set. I thought we were kind of medium out there and let one get away from us. From then on, it was just pedal to the metal. I don’t know if that inspired them but we certainly played really good defense. I thought all of us really elevated our game. The coaching staff did an amazing job on the scout, so we had places that we could pick on that other teams had not.”
On what the win will do for the confidence of the freshman…
“I think it helps for sure. I also think this freshman group is coming in with a lot of confidence, especially in the cases of a Kalei [Edson] or a Lauren [Dreves]. I think this is finally the year where we’re not shocked by good teams walking into the building and getting that deer in the headlights feeling. We’re good and we’re playing with the confidence.
Bella Bell, Right side
On what win means to the team and program…
“I think it’s huge, especially for the freshmen that we have here, giving them a lot of confidence to realize that we can beat a top 25 team. I think it’s also good, especially early in the season, to get this huge win and just see how we can grow from here.”