STARKVILLE, Miss. - Junior Liz Crouch broke an Auburn three-set record with 31 digs as the Tigers opened the Southeastern Conference volleyball season with a victory over Mississippi State on Friday.
The Tigers (9-3, 1-0) swept the match 25-21, 25-19, 25-15.
“It is exciting to start the conference season with a 3-0 win on the
road, and Liz played great,” Auburn coach Wade Benson said. “There were signs of improvement and mental toughness on the team. Despite our execution being average and the rhythm not at a level that
we want, the team hung in there mentally and found ways to perform.”
A pair of freshmen led the team offensively. Katherine Sophomore setter Christina Solverson had 14 assists and eight digs.
The Tigers play Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Sunday at 1 p.m.
SOCCER
Tigers lose tough one on the road
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke’s Chelsea Canepa beat Auburn goalkeeper Amy Howard with 2:33remaining in the second overtime, handing Auburn a disappointing 2-1 loss in the Duke Nike Cup on Friday.
“We had our chances," Auburn coach Karen Hoppa said. "This is really a heartbreaking loss. We should have put it away in the first overtime and we should have put it away in the second overtime. We had chances in both overtimes and the second half.
"On the road, you are not going to get the breaks and you’re not going to get the luck so you have to make your own luck. We had such good, quality looks that we didn’t score on, and that was the difference in the game.”
Katy Frierson had a chance to win the match just two minutes into the first overtime, but her long-range shot was easily grabbed by Campbell. Rebecca Howell also had a chance to end it with just 33 seconds remaining in the first overtime, but her shot from the top of the six during a 3-on-3 went just outside the post.
Frierson and Howell almost connected for the game-winner in the 103rd minute as Howell fed Frierson a free look 20 yards out but her shot kept on rising and went out over the Duke net. Kendell Bradley also had a chance to finish it earlier in the second overtime but her shot from 10 yards out went wide.
Howell scored for the second straight game to put Auburn up 1-0, in the 27th minute. Caitlin King set Howell up on a 3-on-2 breakaway with Howell in the middle and King on the far side. King threaded a pass to Howell at the top of the 18, and she ripped it in for her second goal of the season and 16th of her career. King’s assist was her third of the season and 21st of her career.
Auburn will close out the Duke Nike Cup on Sunday at 11 a.m. against North Carolina, a 1-0 winner over LSU in the tournament's opening match.
