AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - The Auburn Tigers hosted Missouri in Neville Arena on Sunday, and senior Liz Markovska and sophomore Lauren Dreves got Auburn started quickly. However, Missouri did not let up, keeping the first set tight with many back-and-forth points.
An aggressive kill and an ace by Dreves tied the game 6-6, which was followed up with a kill by Eden Bower to take a slight lead at 8-7. The Auburn Tigers used that momentum to stay out in front. Grace Havlicek recorded a block to force set point, and a Missouri service error gave Auburn a 25-23 set win.
Bel Zimmerman set the tone with an aggressive kill to open the second set, but then both teams settled into a back-and-forth rhythm. That back and forth play would continue far into extra points until Missouri finally ended the set thanks to a kill by Janet deMarrias, taking a 32-30 set victory.
The third set was less close. After a quick early back-and-forth that led to a 4-4 tie, Missouri bolted out to an 11-4 lead thanks to a 7-0 scoring run. Caylen Alexander was the spark for Mizzou, racking up three kills during the run. Auburn tried to close in on Mizzou, but ultimately lost the set 25-17 to give Missouri a 2-1 lead.
Auburn tried to bounce back in the fourth set, and it appeared as if the home Tigers would have enough to force a fifth set. Auburn took a 12-10 lead thanks to a 5-0 scoring run, and pulled away to a seemingly commanding 19-15 margin. However, Missouri came storming back, shutting down the Auburn attack and taking a 25-23 set win, giving Mizzou a 3-1 match win.
The loss is Auburn’s first in Neville Arena this season, and drops the Tigers to 13-4 overall and 4-2 in SEC play in 2025. Dreeves had a banner day in the loss, racking up a career-high 20 kills to lead the team. Markovska also found double digits with 10 kills.
Kate Mansfield led Auburn in blocks once again, totalling 6 on the day. Havlicek and Dreves followed close behind with 4 blocks each.
Auburn Volleyball will continue its season Oct. 15th against the University of Kentucky at the Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky. at 6:00 p.m. CDT.
