LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Stellar offense, highlighted by a career-high 18 kills on a monstrous .567 hitting percentage, lifted Auburn over Morehead State, 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-17) on Saturday afternoon in L&N Federal Credit Union Arena
After a tough battle with No. 4 Louisville on Friday evening, it took a couple of points for the Tigers to get going, but when they did, the Orange and Blue offense was downright lethal.
Bel Zimmerman and Kate Mansfield brought it early and often. Zimmerman would finish with 5 kills on .300 hitting in the first set alone.
Even when the Eagles leveled the match at 19, Auburn, and specifically Lauren Dreves, had the counter. The sophomore outside hitter found six kills on 14 swings with just one error in the opening frame, shutting the door on Morehead State and giving the Tigers the early lead.
Dreves would not stop there. With near-perfect sets from Shanelle Puetz and Kalei Edson, Dreves added four more kills on six swings in the second set. The Vancouver, Washington product would go for a career-high 18 on a .567 hitting percentage.
Puetz wasn’t finished adding her stamp to the contest either. The Florida Gulf Coast transfer dished out 19 assists and dug out 10 balls for Auburn’s first double-double of the season.
It wasn’t just Dreves, Zimmerman (9 kills) and Liz Markovska (9 kills) that helped Edson and Puetz direct an offense that hit .443, Auburn’s highest effort since defeating Florida (.494) in Gainesville in 2023. Mansfield and fellow middle blocker Grace Havlicek had themselves a match as well. Mansfield put down seven kills on a highly efficient .636 hitting percentage while Havlicek piled up six kills of her own on .625 hitting.
Late in the third, as Auburn had complete control of the match, Mansfield and Eden Bower put the final nails in the coffin. Mansfield tallied a career-best six rejections as Bower finished with five.
When all the dust settled, it added up to an Auburn sweep, 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-17).
WHAT CROUCH HAD TO SAY
Head coach, Brent Crouch
“Very impressive performance for us today, offensively. When our middles are finding kills like that, our offense is hard to stop. Lauren (Dreves) has made tremendous strides this offseason and we’re starting to see what she’s capable of, and I think her ceiling is even higher. We have one more match tomorrow to take care of business against another solid opponent, but I can’t wait to get back to Neville for the season-opener on Wednesday for the Auburn Family to see this in person.”
MATCH NOTES
- Auburn head coach Brent Crouch notched the 70th win of his Auburn career.
- The Tigers hit .443 throughout the match, marking the highest hitting percentage since defeating Florida (.494) in Gainesville in 2023.
- Auburn held Morehead State to .193 hitting, marking the second straight match the Tigers have held their opponent below .200 to open the season.
- Lauren Dreves recorded career highs in kills (18) and hitting percentage (.564).
- Eden Bower’s five blocks matched her career high.
- Kate Mansfield notched a career-best six blocks.
- Shanelle Puetz (19 assists, 10 digs) logged her first double-double as a Tiger.