TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Much like the lights inside Foster Auditorium, once the Tigers turned on, they weren't going to stop shining.
Led by freshman Madison Scheer, Auburn secured its second straight win over in-state rival Alabama, 3-1 (16-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-14).
Aggressive serving from the Tide led to several out-of-system plays for the Tigers. Having difficulty finding a footing, Auburn couldn't seem to find the same momentum it did a day ago.
Freshman Bel Zimmerman did her best to keep the Orange and Blue afloat in the first set with four kills on .333 hitting but Alabama's collective .294 effort was too much to overcome.
The Tigers found a way to turn the tide in the second frame, though. Taking the same recipe Alabama used in the first, Auburn tightened up both its serve and receive game.
Dialing up five aces, including a pair from sophomore Fallan Lanham, the Orange and Blue were all over Alabama. Simultaneously, keeping Alabama out of system led to a potent offensive punch from the Tigers.
As a team, Auburn hit an incredible .450 to even the match at one set apiece.
To no one's surprise, freshman Madison Scheer was leading the charge in igniting the Tigers. Finding her groove between the second and third set, Scheer's numbers skyrocketed and the team followed.
Virtually unstoppable in the third, Scheer grabbed six kills on eight swings with zero errors. The Eureka, Missouri native would finish with 20 kills on .486 hitting, marking the seventh time this season the youngster has hit north of .400.
With a little pep in their step, suddenly everyone's energy rose to the occasion. Sarah Morton and Zoe Slaughter were making plays in the back row, Jackie Barrett was distributing left, right and center, and Chelsey Harmon and Kendal Kemp were busy blocking at the net.
Combined with another stout serving performance, including another ace from Lanham, put the nail in the coffin for Alabama in the third and put the Tigers one set away from the series sweep.
If the Auburn fans that made the trip to Tuscaloosa needed any indication of whether or not the team was fired up to play the fourth set, they were promptly answered by an emphatic Kendal Kemp block.
Tigers were flying around everywhere making plays. Of Anderson's 18 digs, seven of them came in the fourth set alone.
Scheer added seven more kills on .462 hitting while the team saved its best performance for last, hitting .310 to close out the contest.
MATCH NOTES
- Auburn extends its program record start to 13-0
- The Tiger's 13 wins this season already match the mark from 2021
- Madison Scheer reached 20 kills for the second time this season
- Sunday marked the fifth time this season Auburn has had at least 10 aces in a match
- The 2-0 start to SEC play matches Auburn's best since 2017
- Scheer also hit over .400 for the seventh time in 2022
- Sarah Morton (20 digs) reached the double-digit dig mark for the 10th straight game and the 12th time this season
- Akasha Anderson (12 kills, 18 digs) recorded her third double-double
- Her 18 digs were also a career-high
CROUCH'S COMMENTS
"It was a great weekend. It was interesting in both first sets of both matches, Alabama played great and we were just a little bit on our heels. I think we're still learning how to play our level consistently and how to do that all weekend long against really good teams in the SEC. Once again, we settled down heading into the second set. We just continually play better as the match goes on.
"When you lose a set early on the road, you got to make a choice. There was a great crowd in here tonight. This place was pretty loud and I'm proud of how the team responded. Especially in the last set and it was nice to see Kendal put an exclamation point at the end of it."
On the team's defensive effort…
"As the match went on, the back row just became more and more comfortable with what shots they were expecting to see and making little adjustments. They were reading tips really well and picking them up. Alabama made a sub at the end of the last set and she got a few kills in a spot that we weren't quite expecting. Otherwise, I think that set would've ended 25-10. We were on everyone. It was cool to see."
On the long road stint and Wednesday's SEC home opener…
"We certainly knew we had talent but they are learning how to play together, learning how to communicate on the court and learning how to connect. They have clearly connected in a really good way. They've learned how to be coached by me and now it's a little more collaborative.
"We're going to need to the Auburn Family big time against Mississippi State. They're a very good team, second in the SEC last year and it's pretty much the same team that went to the NCAA's. It's going to be a fun battle and see where we are."