AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn’s second night back on The Plains in Neville Arena, Friday night against Samford, saw some competitive action during the 2026 Alabama Showdown. Auburn took the match 3-1 behind strong performances by Greer Chambless and Grace Havlicek.
Chambless’ heroics shone through Friday night. She led the Tigers in kills with 15. Havlicek played powerful defense for Auburn with a team-high seven blocks and 10 kills of her own.
Auburn cruised through its first set, jumping to a quick 10-3 lead, but Samford found its rhythm and cut the deficit to 10-6. Auburn took the lead in the first set, which saw no lead changes or ties.
Auburn’s opening set concluded with a score of 25-18 and was capped off with a block from Reese Shugart and Havlicek.
The second set of play was closely contested, featuring 18 ties and 13 lead changes. This set saw its last tie at 26. Belle Patrick clinched the set for Auburn with a kill to give the Tigers a two-set lead.
Samford capitalized on the service errors and other miscues Auburn showed in the third set, but after a kill from Kate Mansfield to make it 12-12, Auburn seemed to find their footing. The set came to a tie at 20, and with grit, Samford didn’t allow a point from then on, winning the third set 25-20.
Auburn began the fourth set with a chance to close out the match. The Tigers had a couple of hard-hit kills that ignited the crowd at Neville Arena. To close out the fourth set, Auburn had five straight kills. Havlicek recorded the final kill to secure the match for the Tigers.
Auburn will finish the Alabama Showdown Saturday against South Alabama at 2 p.m. CT.
