AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn volleyball faced No. 11 Tennessee on their home court Sunday afternoon. Up against the unranked Tigers, the Volunteers entered the match with an upper hand. The Volunteers controlled the match, hitting .300 and recording 10 blocks, while Auburn hit .111 and recorded three blocks.
The two teams last met in Neville Arena in 2022, when Auburn won 3-1. Auburn looked to bounce back after falling to No. 3 Kentucky two days earlier.
The Tigers began the first set with a strong effort to keep pace with Tennessee. Starting her streak, outside hitter Lauren Dreeves delivered a strong kill to keep the match from slipping away and kept Auburn close with a 6-3 head-to-head score.
Soon after, the Volunteers picked up momentum and began their breakaway, winning 10 of the next 13 points to take a 21-15 lead. Tennessee closed the first set 25-19. But Dreve's start offered only a glimpse of the many hits to come.
After two timeouts for each team, the Tigers kept the energy up, with a 19-point hold leading the longest set of the match.
While Tennessee held their footing, a steady round of back-and-forth kills kept the teams tied 4-4 in match two. An assist by versatile attacker Belle Patrick off of setter Carson Eickenloff’s start allowed the Tigers to break away with a three-point lead and Eickenloff’s two-kill streak.
The Volunteers stood firm through multiple block kills, along with Kennedi Rogers’ four kills, and broke off a seven-point run to end the second set 25-18.
Down two sets, Auburn tried to find its remaining strength at the top of the third. Dreves’ continued efforts led to a nine-kill streak, but the Tigers trailed by eight points by mid-set.
Coming out of the final timeout, the Tigers' fight continued with a consecutive block-and-kill by both Dreves and pin-hitter Anastasija Ivkovic. But the Volunteers did not give the Tigers an easy win, as Rogers capped the run with back-to-back kills, finishing with 15 kills and 11 digs.
The 25-18 third-set victory completed Tennessee's 3-0 win over Auburn.
Auburn will hit the road next week for matches against Vanderbilt and Missouri. The Tigers will face Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. CT Friday, Oct. 9, in Nashville before traveling to Missouri for a 2 p.m. CT match Sunday, Oct. 11.
