CHICAGO — Auburn volleyball won its third straight match on the road, defeating Central Michigan in three sets. The Tigers and Chippewas battled through the first two sets, with Auburn winning each set 25-19. The Auburn attack clicked all throughout the final set, hitting .556 against Central Michigan’s -.208 mark, swiftly winning the final set 25-11. Belle Patrick recorded her second-best mark of the season with 18 kills.
Auburn opened the match with a 5-1 run, capped by back-to-back kills by Patrick. The Tigers steadily held their lead until four-straight Auburn points opened up the set to a 16-8 Tiger lead. The Chippewas began to climb back into the set with a 7-3 run, closing the Auburn lead to just three at 19-16. The Tigers responded to the Central Michigan threat with a 5-2 run to cap off the set on a Mansfield kill. Four different Tigers recorded three-or-more kills in the opening set. Emily Keiran tallied seven digs in the frame.
Patrick continued to lead the Auburn attack, driving the Tigers to a 10-3 lead in the second set, including three consecutive kills. Central Michigan fought back with four-straight points, but we were never able to overcome the deficit. Auburn returned with a five-point run of its own to take an 18-9 lead with kills from Patrick and Grace Havlicek. The Chippewas continued to fight through the end of the set, pulling within five points, but Auburn’s early advantage was too much to overcome. Patrick recorded nine kills in the second set, tying her mark from yesterday for the most kills in a set by a Tiger this season.
A handful of Chippewa attack errors and two Mansfield kills helped Auburn to a 9-4 lead early in the set. Back-to-back Patrick kills capped off a 7-1 Auburn run, extending the Tiger lead to 16-8. Another long Auburn run set up the Tigers to take the set quickly, six-straight points, led by Patrick and a Macy McAmis ace gave Auburn a 23-10 lead. A pair of Mansfield kills, including the set-clincher on an overpass, sealed the victory for Auburn. Mansfield and Patrick led the Tigers with four kills each. Mansfield, Patrick, and Havlicek combined to hit .733 in the final set.
NOTABLES
- Patrick recorded 18 kills, the most by an Auburn player in a three-set match this season. Her nine kills in the second set are the most by a player in a single set this season.
- Havlicek tied her career high with four digs, her season-high.
- Mansfield recorded a season-high 12 kills.
- Keiran tallied a career-high four assists.
TIGER STANDOUTS
- Patrick’s 18 kills are the most by a Tiger in a three-set match this season.
- Keiran led the Tigers with 14 digs, her second-most in a three-set match this season.
- Havlicek hit a season-best .800 when logging 10 or more attacks. Havlicek’s four digs were a career high.
- Mansfield’s 12 kills were a season-high for the junior. She hit .409 on 22 attempts while also logging three blocks.
- Carson Eickenloff and Shanelle Puetz each tallied 16 assists. The mark is a season-high for Puetz.
HEAD COACH BRENT CROUCH
- “We saw some improvements from yesterday’s match, hit on the adjustments that we stressed to the team. We grew throughout the match and finished with a solid third set. Belle and Kate were huge for us today on the attack, both taking advantage of their opportunities.”
UP NEXT
- Auburn Volleyball returns to McGrath-Phillips Arena tomorrow for a 2 p.m. match against the DePaul Blue Demons. Sunday’s match concludes the DePaul Invitational and the nine-match road swing to open the Tigers’ season.
—War Eagle—