AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn found a way to dig a little deeper than Georgia on Saturday in the Volleyball edition of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.
Jackie Barrett's third straight double-double and fifth of the season propelled the Tigers past the Bulldogs, 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 23-25, 25-23).
Both offenses were operating at a high clip in the first set. For the Tigers, freshman Akasha Anderson racked up five quick kills but two from Madison Scheer, Kendal Kemp and Chelsey Harmon meant the Georgia defense had to respect all Auburn attackers.
At the midway point, head coach Brent Crouch's crew hadn't recorded a block yet. A problem they would remedy quickly and boisterously.
Four emphatic rejections, including three from the 6'6" Kemp, slammed the door shut on the set and gave the Tigers an early lead.
The Eagan, Minnesota native would finish with a career-best 10 blocks, including one solo effort.
Auburn and Georgia didn't find much separation from each other in the second set. In fact, the lead changed nine times and was tied on 28 different occasions during the frame.
Barrett and co., however, remained undeterred
Setting her attackers left, right and center, Scheer, Anderson, Zimmerman and Harmon all collected three kills in the set as Auburn would hit .364.
Of course, Barrett couldn't have set up the offense without the defense doing its thing on the back end. Sarah Morton and Zoe Slaughter each grabbed nine digs. Barrett herself led the team with 10.
Even as the game drifted into extra points, it was Anderson who wasn't about to let her team see a set slip through their hands, pounding home a kill and then combining with Kemp on a block for back-to-back points. All of the sudden, the Tigers owned a commanding two-set advantage.
Georgia came ready to play in the third, though. Hitting north of .300 for the first time in the match, the Bulldogs' efficiency was on full display. Five kills from Scheer and aces from Fallan Lanham and Jordan Sinness weren't enough to prevent a fourth set.
The visitors seemingly carried all the momentum from the third frame into the fourth. Twice, Georgia had stretched its lead to at least six points.
Needing any resemblance of a spark down 20-13, Auburn turned to Barrett.
Serving seven straight times, the junior from Highland, California ignited not only her team but the raucous crowd inside Neville Arena as well.
With the match tied at 20 and with both teams without a timeout, the race to 25 was on.
A thunderous kill from Scheer got the Tigers one and a service error added another. Two kills from Anderson made it match point and in true Auburn defensive fashion, Kemp and Zimmerman blew the roof off the Plains with a block to seal the victory.
MATCH NOTES
- Auburn improves to 15-1 and 4-1 in the SEC to remain in first place
- The Tigers improve to 4-0 in Neville Arena and have won 15 of the last 21 matches on the Plains
- Saturday marked the eighth time this season Auburn has posted at least 10 total blocks
- The Tigers held its opponent below .200 for the 11th time this season
- Kendal Kemp tied her career-high with 10 blocks, including one solo effort
- It was the second time in 2022 a Tiger has collected 10 blocks in a four-set match. Chelsey Harmon had 10 against Troy on Sept. 10
- Jackie Barrett (41 assists, 10 digs) secured her third straight double-double and fifth of the season
CROUCH'S COMMENTS
Gallery: (10-8-2022) Volleyball vs. Georgia