MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. (EETV) – This Friday, Auburn Volleyball faced their first opponent away from Neville Arena. In less than one week, they have faced two opponents ranked in the Top 25. While they prevailed against then No. 15 Florida State, they were not able to find success against No. 19 Minnesota, leaving them with their first loss of the season.
Keegan Cook’s Golden Gophers were at home and their comfort on the court was immediately apparent as they took an early 6-2 lead in the first set. It was a serving error by Minnesota and two consecutive aces from Alexis Dacosta that gave the Tigers hope.
Near the end of the first set, the Tigers rallied together to bring the game within two points at 23-21. In a back and forth battle, the Golden Gophers claimed the first set 25-21.
In their matchup against then No. 15 Florida State, the Tigers also dropped the first set, so they walked into this second set with a calm energy. Notably, they began the second set on a 5-0 run and took the momentum back.
Blocking was a key element for the Tigers in this set as they had three blocks. Their average of 3.08 blocks per set lead the Southeastern conference.
Unfortunately, the serving from the Golden Gophers was proving to be a difficult obstacle for the Tigers and they gave up four aces. Minnesota took the second set with a 25-22 win as the Tigers gave them a run for their money.
In the third set, the Golden Gophers had their highest hitting percentage of the night and took a commanding lead to put the Tigers away. Two serving errors for the Tigers to pair with two serving aces for the Golden Gophers confirmed that the serving line was crucial in this set.
Auburn Volleyball kept fighting and even found themselves outscoring the Golden Gophers in the last 21 points of the set by 5. The final set sealed the deal for the Golden Gophers in their 25-16 win on their home court.
Melani Shaffmaster’s 30 assists for the Golden Gophers resulted in more assists than both Peyton Dunn and Kalei Edson combined. This shows that the Tigers struggled to create opportunities at the net and capitalize for aggressive kills.
Emma Moore gave a valiant performance in the middle to stop attacks from the Golden Gophers and had her fourth career match with four or more blocks.
The outcome of Friday night’s game does not worry Auburn Volleyball’s Head Coach, Brent Crouch, as he states, “We had some good runs but there’s also some room to grow there. But I love where we are at this point of the year.” This young squad still has a full schedule of teams to play as they continue to build their resume for the selection committee.
The Tigers are now 6-1 on the season and looking to bounce back from this loss on Saturday, September 14th, when they will play the Long Island Sharks to close out the Diet Coke Classic.
