LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Auburn battled tough through three sets in a hostile environment. In the end, No. 4 Louisville came away with victory, 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21) inside the L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.
It didn’t take long for fans of the Orange and Blue to realize the 2025 version of the Tigers is full of competitors. Bel Zimmerman put down two early kills on three swings as Auburn owned an early lead against a top-10 team on the road.
No one filled the stat sheet more than Alexis Dacosta, though. The senior libero was seemingly everywhere on Friday evening, chasing down 10 digs before the first media timeout. The Katy, Texas product would finish one shy of career high with 23.
Speaking of defense, the Auburn block made a major appearance in Louisville as well. Kate Mansfield led the charge with two in the first set. Zimmerman and Eden Bower both recorded rejections as well. The Tigers would outblock Louisville 3-2.
Ultimately, the Cardinals found a run at the end of the set and took the early lead, 1-0.
A 5-2 run, highlighted by two quick kills from Zimmerman, put Auburn on the right foot to start the second stanza. Even when Louisville put together a pair of runs midway through set two, the Tigers’ block had an answer.
Doubling the block total from the first set, Auburn combined for six momentum-changing rejections. Mansfield tallied three, while both Bower and Grace Havlicek notched two apiece. As a team, the Tigers would finish with 11 blocks, compared to Louisville’s six.
For a second straight set, the home side found a run to close out the frame and take a 2-0 lead.
Sophomore Lauren Dreves started to find a rhythm in the last two sets and showed no signs of slowing down. Dreves, the Vancouver, Washington native, delivered five kills in both sets two and three. In the third, Dreves drove home five kills on just 10 swings with one error for a loud .400 hitting percentage.
Late in the third, it was Auburn’s turn to find a run. Led by Dreves’ prowess, the Tigers rattled off six straight points to get within two. However, Louisville would conjure the two final points they needed to finish off the match, 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21).
WHAT CROUCH HAD TO SAY
Head Croiuch, Brent Crouch
“I was very excited about a lot of what I saw out there today. Everything that we’ve been teaching in practice throughout the fall was working when we were executing. We just have to execute at a higher level and more consistently throughout the match. The defense is there. We had 11 blocks and held them to .162 hitting. Those are elite numbers against a very good team. We have two more matches this weekend against good teams and I’m excited to see how this team responds against solid competition over the next couple of days. But there are plenty of positives I think we can take from tonight, and I think they will.”
MATCH NOTES
- Auburn starts the year with a double-digit block effort (11). The Tigers had 11 such matches in 2024.
- The Tigers held Louisville to a .162 hitting percentage. Last season, Auburn held opponents below .200 13 times.
- Zoe Slaughter (3 digs) reached 500 for her career.
- Alexis Dacosta (23 digs) finished one shy of her career best.
- Lauren Dreves (13 kills, 9 digs) finished one dig shy of a double-double.
- Liz Markovska (10 kills) also finished in double figures for the Tigers.
- Kate Mansfield (5 blocks) tied her career high.
- Bel Zimmerman (5 blocks) finished one shy of her career high.