AUBURN, AL (EETV) - On Wednesday, Auburn Volleyball entered Neville Arena with hopes of ending their four-game losing streak against another conference opponent. With outside hitter Madison Scheer (Jr.) coming off a historic achievement of reaching 1,000 career kills, she aimed to give the Tigers a much-needed spark against a hungry Ole Miss Rebels squad.
To begin the first set of the evening, the Tigers were off to a slow start as back-row defenders tried to find their stride to turn Ole Miss serves into offensive plays.
Auburn’s Lauren Dreves (Fr.) and Alexis Dacosta (Jr.) kept the Tiger defense alive in the back row as Dreves began her campaign towards yet another double-double for the freshman pin hitter.
Even with timely kills from Jasmine Okeoma (R-Fr.) and Chelsea McCurdy (Gr.), paired with momentum-shifting blocks from Bella Bell (Gr.), the Tigers dropped the first set 20-25.
The Tigers kicked off the second set with a huge block courtesy of right-side hitter Bella Bell to get the momentum rolling.
Even with Ole Miss setting the block consistently on Auburn hitters, Madison Scheer and Lauren Dreves gave the Tigers a burst of energy with their offensive successes from the left side.
With early offensive successes from Auburn hitters, pin hitters ran into an untimely slump as numerous shots went wide. The Rebels took advantage of the Tigers’ errors resulting in an Ole Miss scoring run.
With Auburn’s early offensive success, their late struggles resulted in Ole Miss taking the second set with a score of 17-25, with the Rebels leading two sets to none.
Fast forward to the third set, the Rebels held high hopes for a three-set sweep in front of the “Trick-Or-Treat Takeover” crowd.
The Tigers attempted to switch up their offensive strategy with setter Peyton Dunn (R-Jr.) running Lauren Dreves on the back-row attack. Auburn’s offensive strategy shift helped the Tigers gain further momentum to avoid the sweep.
Bella Bell showed a strong performance in the third set for the Tigers as she bolstered the defensive presence up at the net, following it up with key kills.
With Auburn gaining steam, the Rebels shifted their game plan to include running the middle blockers on push plays to keep the Tiger blockers on their toes. Both Auburn and Ole Miss kept the set competitive as four lead changes and 12 ties kept Auburn fans engaged.
Dreves’ offensive and defensive capabilities were on full display as she helped push the Tigers toward a third-set win. Auburn ultimately won the third set with a score of 25-22, with Ole Miss leading two sets to one.
As Auburn gained much-needed momentum from the previous set, they looked to build upon the energy in Neville Arena to keep the Rebels at bay.
Auburn’s Madison Scheer once again sparked the Tiger offense early in the set with timely kills from the left side.
Even with Scheer’s kills and a block for Lauren Dreves, Ole Miss was off to a quick start with two back-to-back aces to extend their lead, forcing the Tigers into an early timeout.
The Tigers were in much need of a rally to keep Auburn in the match as Bel Zimmerman (Jr.) ended the Rebels’ scoring run with two back-to-back kills for the right-side hitter.
Late into the fourth set, Auburn found their groove offensively, but the Tiger defense struggled to hold off the Rebels. Even with Lauren Dreves and Peyton Dunn’s strong double-double performance, Ole Miss ultimately won the fourth set with a score of 25-21.
As Lauren Dreves' totaled 18 digs and 12 kills, paired with Peyton Dunn's 15 digs and 21 assists for two double-double performances, the Tigers dropped the match to the Rebels with a score of 3-1.
Auburn drops to 14-7 overall, and 4-6 in SEC play before looking to snap their five-game losing streak against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for another round of conference play on Sunday at 3:00 PM CST.
