AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) – 24th-ranked Auburn Volleyball took to the court at home in Neville Arena on Sunday to face the unranked Texas A&M Aggies. However, the Aggies proved to be a formidable opponent, upsetting the Tigers 3-1 on their home court.
The first set of the night got off to a very even start, with both squads trading points back and forth until they reached a 13-13 deadlock. From there, the Aggies went on a 4-0 run and didn’t look back for the rest of the set, emerging with a 25-20 win.
However, Auburn bounced back in set 2. The Tigers took the second set 25-18 with help from a 6-0 run that took them from a 7-7 tie to a commanding 13-7 lead. The run was fueled by Freshman hitter Lauren Dreves, who served the Auburn run and recorded two service aces in the process.
Set two also saw two major milestones for members of the Auburn squad. With her third block of the night, Graduate Middle Blocker Chelsey McCurdy recorded her 200th block as a member of the Tigers. Then, just minutes later, Bel Zimmerman recorded her 500th career kill, one of 10 on the night for the Junior Outside Hitter.
Unfortunately for Auburn, the good feelings ended after the second set. Texas A&M took set three 25-21 and set four 25-19 to finish off the upset. The Aggies attack was led by Junior Logan Lednicky, a former SEC All-Freshman and Preseason All-SEC Opposite Hitter who racked up 23 kills on the night. The 23 kills tied her high mark over the past two seasons, and her .318 hit% on the night marked the ninth time she has hit over .300 in the Aggies’ 13 games this season.
Auburn seemed outmatched compared to the Aggies, recording 15 less kills (60 vs 45) on the night. The Tigers were also gapped in hit% (.257 vs .201) and digs (67 vs 55), both of which were very uncharacteristic of the play of Coach Brent Crouch’s team so far this season.
“You can’t make mistakes or not play at the highest level you can and beat a team that’s this good,” said Crouch following the game. “They’re for sure the best team we’ve played besides Minnesota.”
Certainly Texas A&M has the resume to match, as they now sit at 11-2 with losses only to Wisconsin and Texas, two teams currently ranked in the AVCA Top 10.
Following the loss, Auburn falls to 13-2, but with both losses being to high-quality teams it definitely isn’t the end of the road for the Tigers. Auburn will look to bounce back on October 13 as they travel to Starkville, MS. to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who sit at 7-5 after a rough start to SEC play.
