AUBURN, Ala. – Dominant from start to finish, Auburn Volleyball made quick work of Virginia, sweeping the Cavaliers, 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-21) to earn the victory in the inaugural Showdown at the Net.
Head coach Brent Crouch could not have asked for a better start to the match. Setters Kalei Edson and Shanelle Puetz took the prolific passing from the back row and turned it into one of the most efficient offensive performances thus far.
Lauren Dreves, Bel Zimmerman and Liz Markovska all delivered four kills. Eden Bower wasn’t too far behind with three of her own. Puetz and Edson directed an offense that hit a robust .412. Coupled with four blocks, the Tigers ran away with the early lead.
The early parts of the second set were played fairly close. It was tied at 13 apiece before the sleeping Orange and Blue giant pulled off its largest run of the season.
Auburn outscored Virginia 12-3 in a flurry that included two blocks and two aces.
Markovska dialed up a team-high six kills on her 12 swings, while Dreves stacked up four more as well.
Service pressure was paramount on Tuesday. Fresh off a 10-ace performance against Jackson State last week, Auburn supplied four more against Virginia. Puetz recorded a pair. Both Edson and Dreves tallied one as well.
Leading two sets to none, the Tigers looked for the final blow in the third.
Again, the Cavaliers refused to go away quietly. The third frame featured 12 ties and four lead changes.
With the home side leading 19-18, Crouch’s crew stepped on the gas, finding kills from Kate Mansfield, Zimmerman and Markovska.
Zimmerman would finish her evening with nine kills on an even .500 hitting to go along with a team-high five blocks.
As a team, Auburn piled up 10.5 blocks, marking the third straight match the Orange and Blue have reached double digits.
Meanwhile, Markovska stacked up a game-high 11 kills with Dreves right behind with 10.
All of which added up to a dominant sweep, and the first win for the Southeastern Conference in the inaugural Showdown at the Net.
WHAT CROUCH HAD TO SAY
Head coach, Brent Crouch
“We’re getting much better as a team. You can see we’re starting to gel together on the court. People are also making very good decisions and we’re capitalizing on errors. I’m extremely pleased with where were at right now. Virginia is a good team, but we did some things tonight to make ourselves look very good in front of our home crowd. Florida State on Friday and Sunday will be another good test for us as we move forward.”
MATCH NOTES
- Auburn finished with 10.5 total team blocks, marking the third straight match the Tigers have reached double digits and the fourth time in 2025
- The Tigers hit .333, marking the fourth time Auburn has hit north of .300 this season
- The Auburn defense held Virginia to just .148, marking the fifth time the Tigers have held its opponent below .200 this season
- Lauren Dreves (10 kills) has reached double digits in all six matches this season
- Eden Bower’s eight kills were a season-high
- Kate Mansfield has recorded at least four blocks in five of the six matches this season
- Bel Zimmerman (.500 hitting percentage) has eclipsed .300 in three straight matches
- Zimmerman’s nine kills and five blocks both matched her season high
- Alexis Dacosta (10 digs) reached double digits for the fifth time in six matches
- Grace Havlicek (5 blocks) has recorded at least four blocks in five of the six matches this season
- Liz Markovska (11 kills) reached double digits for the fourth time in 2025