GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sophomore Lauren Dreves delivered a career-best 19 kills in an epic four-set battle. However, Auburn (11-3, 2-1) went head-to-head with Florida (7-5, 2-1) Friday night inside Exactech Arena but fell in a hard-fought match, 3-1 (25-18, 17-25, 25-18, 26-24).
The opening set was close early, tied at 7-7, before Florida went on a 5-0 scoring run to gain separation.
Bel Zimmerman helped Auburn keep the pace, finishing with three kills on her eight attacks. Auburn kept the score close, but the Gators held their lead to claim the first set, 25-18.
The Orange and Blue responded well in set two, opening on a 5-0 run before cushioning their lead with another 3-0 spurt to go ahead 11-4.
After three straight block assists from Kate Mansfield, the Tigers built a double-digit lead at 18-8. She ended up with five blocks in the second set.
Bella Humphrey and Baileigh Carlsen both helped Auburn secure the lead with service aces of their own.
Lauren Dreves and Liz Markovska led the way with five kills each. Markovska delivered back-to-back kills late before hitting the set-winner to lock a 25-17 victory.
Dreves was just getting started. By the end of the night, the Vancouver, Washington native would finish with a career-high 19 kills on an incredible .385 hitting percentage.
The third set began with a back-and-forth battle before Florida went on a 4-0 run to get a 17-11 lead.
Auburn kept swinging but couldn’t close the gap, as the Gators took the set 25-18.
The fourth frame was an absolute battle.
Dreves powered down seven of her 19 kills in the frame, putting the team on her back as the set climbed into extra points.
Despite four kills from Markovska and three from Mansfield, Florida’s offense was just too powerful in the end, closing out the set and the match, 27-25.
WHAT CROUCH HAD TO SAY
Head Coach, Brent Crouch
“Incredibly proud of our team tonight. Playing on the road is always tough, especially here. I thought after that first set, we composed ourselves well and made some key adjustments. Florida is a really good team. That’s going to be a theme as we continue SEC play, but we were right there with them tonight in a hostile environment. This match is for sure going to benefit us moving forward. We get another chance on Sunday to prove that.”
MATCH NOTES
- Lauren Dreves secured a career-high 19 kills
- Dreves has now reached double digits in 12 of the 13 matches this season and has notched at least 15 in seven different matches
- Kalei Edson recorded her first double-double of the season (18 assists, 13 digs)
- Kate Mansfield (6 blocks) has now recorded at least five blocks in five straight matches and 10 different times in 2025
- Liz Markovska (13 kills) as reached double digits in 10 separate matches this season