AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn volleyball kept pounding on the door of a five-set victory with six different match point opportunities, eventually prevailing to come back from losing the opening set and defeating Oklahoma 24-26, 25-19, 25-13, 24-26, 21-19. The Tigers saw incredible production from all 10 players that touched the court, needing every bit of it in a match that saw 50 tie scores and 17 lead changes across all five sets.
The right sides powered the Auburn offense, with Anastasija Ivkovic and Kate Mansfield combining for 26 kills with a .382 hitting percentage and nine blocks. Ivkovic led Auburn with a career-high 14 kills, hitting .400 with six blocks. Mansfield had her best match since moving to the right side with 12 kills, hitting .360, and logging three blocks.
Freshman libero Emily Keiran had a career night and one of the best by a freshman libero in program history. Keiran logged a career-high 27 digs, the most by a freshman libero since Liz Crouch's 30 against Georgia on Nov. 7, 2007. Keiran's 27 digs were the most by any Tiger since 2023 and the most in SEC play since 2021. Keiran was also 19-of-19 on receptions, adding a career-high three aces to her eight assists.
The opening set was about as tight as it could get, with neither team ever taking a lead larger than three points. Oklahoma used a three-point run, the largest of the period, to take a 17-15 lead and would hold its two-point lead until eventually extending it to three points at 23-20, forcing an Auburn timeout. The Tigers won the first two points out of their timeout to close within one point, forcing an Oklahoma timeout. The Sooners reached set point on the following play, but an Oklahoma service error and a Lauren Dreves kill tied the set. The Sooners responded with a kill and ace to win the opening set 26-24.
Auburn immediately began the second set with its largest lead of the night, 3-0, later growing it to 7-2 on a Symone Sims ace. Oklahoma climbed back into the set with a 5-1 run to tie the set at 10-10. The middle of the set remained tight, eventually drawing to an 18-17 Sooner lead. Auburn went on a five-point run with back-to-back blocks by Grace Havlicek, taking a 23-17 lead. The run gave Auburn the cushion it needed to cruise to a 25-19 set win.
Back-to-back aces by Keiran capped a four-point run, giving Auburn an early 4-1 lead in the third set. The Tigers grew the lead with a 10-2 run, featuring production from the entire rotation. Auburn continued its third-set dominance with another four-point stretch, led by kills from Patrick and a pair of Ivkovic blocks. The Tigers clinched the 25-13 set victory on a Havlicek ace.
Set four was even closer than the first set, with the largest lead of the set being just two points. The back-and-forth period featured 16 tie scores and nine lead changes. Auburn took the first two-point lead of the set following a Shanelle Puetz ace, 7-5. Oklahoma then responded with a three-point run to take the lead at 8-7. After a Sooner block put Oklahoma up 15-13, Auburn came out of the media timeout on a three-point run, regaining the lead. Another 3-0 run, featuring a Puetz ace and Emma Moore kill, put Auburn up 19-17. Oklahoma went on a 5-1 run to take a 22-20 lead, staying ahead for the remainder of the set, eventually winning 26-24.
When things could not get much closer, the fifth set rolled around, featuring 18 tie scores and a combined 33-of-40 on side outs. Trading points for 17 rallies consecutively, Oklahoma took the first multi-point lead of the set at 10-8, drawing an Auburn timeout. A pair of Sooner errors tied the set at 10-10. Auburn retook the lead at 14-13 on an Ivkovic kill, serving for match point. The Oklahoma defense responded, as they would for the next six Auburn match points. No matter what the Auburn attack and block did to earn match point, the Sooners found a way to side out every time until Manfield's 12th kill of the match gave the Tigers match point at 20-19. Oklahoma could not fend off the Tigers any longer, hitting a ball long and clinching the Auburn win 21-19.
NOTABLES
- Keiran's 27 digs were the most by an Auburn freshman since Liz Crouch's record 30 against Georgia on Nov. 7, 2027.
- Keiran's dig total was the most by any Auburn Tiger since Zoe Slaughter recorded 29 at South Alabama on Sept. 14, 2023. It was the highest mark in SEC play by a Tiger since Bella Rosenthall recorded 33 vs. Missouri in 2021.
- Ivkovic's 14 kills and 30 attack attempts were both career highs.
- Kerian's 27 digs and three aces were career highs.
- Havlicek's eight blocks were a season-high and tied for the most by a Tiger this year. Havlicek's 15 blocks in the past two matches are the most in a two-match span by a Tiger this season.
- Moore's 18 attacks were a career high.
- Auburn's 10 aces were tied for the most in a match this season.
- The Tigers blocked Oklahoma 13 times, tied for the most in a match this year.
- Auburn had eight more aces than Oklahoma, the largest difference of the season and the largest difference in favor of the Tigers in SEC play since Brent Crouch took over the program.
- The fifth set featured 18 tie scores, tied for the most in any set this season.
TIGER STANDOUTS
- Ivkovic led Auburn with 14 kills, hitting .400 on 30 attempts. Ivkovic had six blocks, her highest total since Kentucky.
- Kerian's career-high of 27 digs led Auburn. Keiran also tallied eight assists, a career-best three aces, and was a perfect 19-for-19 when receiving.
- Dreves was one dig shy of a double-double with 10 kills.
- Sims had 12 digs, her highest in SEC play. She was a perfect 18-for-18 on receptions, her most in a perfect-receiving match this season. Sims recorded her third kill of the season with an overpassed reception falling for an Auburn point.
- Moore had eight kills and four blocks, leading to 10.0 points, her second-best total of the season.
- Mansfield had her best scoring match since moving to the right side. Mansfield logged 12 kills, her highest mark in SEC play, then added three blocks to total 13.5 points.
- Carson Eickenloff matched her SEC-high with 23 assists.
HEAD COACH CROUCH
- "That's one of our best team wins of the season, hands down. You look around the whole rotation, all 10 girls that played; each one of them did their job. All of our pins had double-digit kills. Grace [Havlicek] and Emma [Moore] were great in the middle. Puetz and Eickenloff both had 20 assists. [Emily Keiran] was amazing like she always is and Symone [Sims] was great in the back row for Belle [Patrick]. We got what we expected from Oklahoma and we played exactly how we needed to in order to win that game. That's a big momentum swinger for us as we head into these last two weeks and we'll bring the energy for Georgia."
UP NEXT
- The Tigers close the regular season home slate next week with a pair of matches at Neville Arena. Auburn hosts Georgia to begin the weekend for Aubie Bobblehead Night. The Tigers and Bulldogs are set for a 6 p.m. match on Friday, Nov. 6. The Tigers then honor their seniors post-match against South Carolina on Sunday, Nov. 8.
—War Eagle—