AUBURN, Ala. – Leading from start to finish, Auburn made quick work of instate-foe Troy, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-17) on Wednesday evening in Neville Arena.
It didn’t take long for the Orange and Blue to give fans something to cheer about. The Tigers came out absolutely firing, hitting an insane .520 in the opening frame.
Lauren Dreves delivered five thunderous kills on her eight swings, but it was the Auburn defense that made the most noise throughout the evening.
Sophomore middle blocker Kate Mansfield collected three rejections in set No. 1 alone, including one solo effort. As a team, the Tigers piled up four team blocks, leading to Troy’s -.054 hitting percentage and an early lead.
Mansfield would not take her foot off the pedal. She added two more blocks in the second and would finish with a career-best nine on the night.
It wasn’t just Mansfield who joined in on the block party. Dreves found a career-best five, Eden Bower added two, Bel Zimmerman stacked up three, Grace Havlicek supplied five and Liz Markovska collected three of her own. It all added up to a season-best 14 blocks for head coach Brent Crouch and the Tigers.
Dreves, the Vancouver, Washington native, filled the stat sheet, collecting her first double-double of the season with 11 kills and 12 digs.
Sets two and three featured more of the same for the home side.
By the end of the match, Auburn hit .354, recorded 14 blocks and cashed in on two Shanelle Puetz Aces. Defensively, the Tigers held Troy to just .045, all adding up to a convincing sweep for the home opener.
WHAT CROUCH HAD TO SAY
Head coach, Brent Crouch
“Certainly pleased with much of what I saw tonight. I think it was good for the team to get out there in front of a home crowd and experience what playing in front of the Auburn Family feels like. Our blocking is beginning to take strides and move in a positive direction. We definitely saw the results of that tonight. We’ll fine-tune a few things here and there but overall, I’m happy with where we’re at and we have another chance to take more steps forward on Friday night against Jackson State.”
MATCH NOTES
- Auburn hit .354, marking the third match this season where the Tigers have eclipsed a .300 hitting percentage.
- The 14 total blocks were a season-high for the Tigers and the second time the team has reached double digits in 2025.
- Auburn held Troy to .045 hitting. It was the first time this season where the Tigers held an opponent below .100.
- Lauren Dreves (11 kills, 12 digs) logged her first double-double of the year.
- Dreves’ five blocks were a career-high.
- Kate Mansfield’s nine blocks were a career best for the Cal transfer.
- Alexis Dacosta (12 digs) reached double digits for the fourth straight match to begin the season.