AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) -- After being swept by the Missouri Tigers on Friday, redemption was in the air at Neville Arena as Auburn Volleyball looked to bounce back against the South Carolina Gamecocks. After five back-and-forth sets, Auburn emerged victorious with a 3-2 win.
During the game, two historical milestones were reached by the Tigers. Head Coach Brent Crouch achieved his 50th career win, the fastest to ever do it in the rally-scoring era, and Jackie Barrett moved up to fifth all-time on Auburn's assist leaderboard after notching her 2,655th assist during the game.
In the first set, neither team could pull away, with the biggest lead being only four when South Carolina had a 14-10 advantage. Later in the set, the Gamecocks led 21-19, and Auburn responded by scoring five unanswered points to gain a 24-21 lead and went on to win the first set 25-22.
In the second set, it was a different story. The Gamecocks came out the gate scoring four straight and would hold this lead through the rest of the set. Auburn got the score within two at 21-19, but South Carolina responded with four straight points to win 25-19.
The third and fourth sets both came down to the wire, but different teams emerged victorious. Auburn won the third set 25-23 in a nailbiter, and South Carolina would respond in the fourth set with a 26-24 victory of their own, setting the stage for a winner-take-all fifth set battle.
The fifth set was defined by its intensity. South Carolina was up 12-11 before Auburn scored three straight and get to match point. South Carolina responded, putting up two points of their own and tying the game at 14. However, Auburn secured the win 17-15 after two huge clutch plays: a kill by Madison Scheer and a game-winning block by Kendal Kemp.
Madison Scheer led the Tigers as she finished with a game-high 24 kills that helped secure the victory. She also led the game in attacks (54) and overall points accumulated (26) to wrap up her dominant showing.
Jackie Barrett led all players in assists with 47, including the one that bumped her up to 5th all-time on Auburn's assist leaderboard. Barrett's unselfishness has been a key component to Auburn volleyball becoming ranked this year for the first time in Neville Arena history.
The Tigers will hit the road for their next game Friday as they travel to Athens, Georgia to rematch the Bulldogs in the volleyball version of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. That game will be at 6 P.M. CT on SECN+.
