AUBURN, Ala. – A focused and pointed bounce-back victory was just what the doctor ordered for head coach Brent Crouch and the Auburn Tigers.
The Orange and Blue faithful on hand inside Neville Arena were treated to a resounding, 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-9, 25-19) win over Charleston Southern to move to 6-1 on the season.
All good things began and ended at the service line for the Tigers on Saturday. Straight out of the gate, Auburn servers were putting the Buccaneers out of system, allowing for the defense to go to work.
While Chelsey Harmon collected the Tigers' only ace of the opening set, Harmon and the rest of the front row went to work at the net. The senior from Puyallup, Washington piled up five blocks while Madison Scheer collected three of her own. As a team, Auburn sent back six total team blocks and had the home fans in a frenzy.
Offensively, fellow middle blocker Kendal Kemp was ready to step into the spotlight. Four kills on eight swings set the tone for what was to come all evening long.
Even though Charleston Southern managed a run at the end of the set, the crowd and momentum still favored the Tigers.
Kemp did not miss in set two, literally. Her three kills on three swings put Auburn in position to take control of the frame. The Eagan, Minnesota product ended the evening with a career-high 13 kills on a career-best .526 hitting.
Set No. 2 belonged to Missouri native Bel Zimmerman, though.
The sophomore formally re-announced herself to the volleyball world with nine kills in set two alone on an even .500 hitting.
Not only was Zimmerman stout on the offensive end, she was just as sturdy defensively. Bel would finish the night with career highs in kills (17) and digs (16) for her first-ever double-double at Auburn.
After tying the match at one set apiece, Crouch's squad a no intention of letting off the pedal. Four kills from Scheer, Kemp and Zimmerman led to a .435 hitting percentage in the third set. It was the service line once again, though, where the Tigers could run off a string of points.
Zimmerman put up two aces while Harmon and Fallan Lanham each dialed up one of their own. Harmon would end the night with a career-best four aces.
Everyone from Jackie Barrett to Sarah Morton was making plays in the fourth set. The Auburn defense held Charleston Southern to just .162 hitting in the final frame, and only .111 on the entire evening.
Morton, Barrett and Zimmerman each surpassed double-digit dig totals while Kemp and Scheer joined Zimmerman in the double-digit kill category.
A 25-19 scoreline in the fourth gave Crouch and the Tigers exactly what they needed, a win and something positive to carry with them into Saturday.
MATCH NOTES
- Bel Zimmerman set career-highs in kills (17) and digs (16) for her first double-double
- Kendal Kemp set a career-best in kills with 13 on a career-high hitting percentage (.526)
- Chelsey Harmon's four aces were a career-high
- Jackie Barrett posted her fourth double-double of the season (41 assists, 13 digs)
- Auburn's seven aces were the most since defeating Jacksonville State on Aug. 26
- The Tigers' 63 digs were the most since collecting 77 in the NCAA tournament against Houston on Dec. 3, 2022
UP NEXT
Auburn gets one more match inside Neville this weekend, taking on Mercer on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. CT. Doors open one hour before first serve and admission is free.