AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Auburn Volleyball completed its first sweep of Florida State since 1998 on Friday, winning in straight sets 25-21, 25-23, and 25-20 behind great performances by Liz Markovska and Kate Mansfield.
It was a game of runs for both teams in the first set, with Florida State going up 4-1 right out of the gate. Auburn would come straight back, pushing the score to 14-11 just a couple of minutes later behind a couple of key Markovska kills.
Auburn and Florida State would go back and forth until the end of the set, as Auburn would close the set on a 3-0 run led by Lauren Dreeves. Liz Markovska and Belle Zimmerman wouldn’t take long to get their team hot, as they combined for 10 of their 26 kills in just the first set.
The hot start for Florida State would repeat for the next two sets, as the Seminoles would try to get at least one set from the Tigers early. In the second, it was Iane Henke for Florida State that would initiate the hot start against an Auburn team struggling with offensive errors. Auburn’s defense just wouldn’t go away, though, even with Henke’s double-digit kill count. Mansfield and Havlicek would close out the second set for Auburn with some monster blocks to take a 2-0 match lead.
The third set saw another strong start for FSU, going up multiple points against Auburn. But then, back-to-back great defensive plays and a nasty Markovska swing helped buoy a 4-0 run for Auburn, which fired up Neville to its loudest of the night. Florida State would battle back and tie it at some points in the set, but the momentum for an inspired Auburn defense was too much for the Seminoles
The third set victory was in large part due to the blocking duo of Mansfield and Eden Bower. The duo combined for 15 blocks in the game and contributed to nine just in the third set. The 17 blocks total for Auburn on Friday night was a season high, aiding Markovska’s season-high kill count of 17 on the night.
Auburn will look to extend its six-game win streak next week as the Tigers take on UAB in their first game of the Alabama showdown on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. CDT.
