AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) — Auburn volleyball openend it season with a sweepagainst Tennessee Tech to secure the first victory for new head coach Brent Crouch yesterday. This match marked the open of the 2021 War Eagle Invitational hosted in Auburn Arena.
Crouch gave a few words on how his team played saying, “I thought it was a great first match for us...We hadn't played in quite a while. To get the first win over with in the first match is good. We settled down as the match went on. I felt there was a lot of nervous energy, but overall, it was a really nice performance.”
The memorable match was the first sweep for the Tigers since playing Alabama in 2019.
The leading player for the Tigers was junior Rebekah Rath. She led the team with 13 kills, four blocks and a service ace to give the Tigers a total of 16 points. Auburn on their kill game yesterday with Liz Reich adding nine and Tatum Shipes adding eight.
Another key player was sophomore Jackie Barrett, who dished out 25 assists and 12 digs, recording her first collegiate double-double. Her offensive hitting percentage of .292 marked the highest for the team since Crouch became head couch.
The defense was strong too, holding Tennessee Tech to a .063 hitting percentage. This was the first time the Tigers have held an opponent to a hitting percentage of .100 or lower since September 2019.
In each of the three sets, the Tigers came out on top fairly easily. The first set ended in a 25-17 victory, set two was an easy 25-12 win, and the last set was back and forth until Val Green put Auburn in front at20-16.
Up next, the Tigers finish off the War Eagle Invitational against Jackson State. The game will be played on Saturday at 7:30 pm CT and can be streamed on the SEC Network+.
