AUBURN, Ala. -- The Auburn Tigers defeated the Troy Trojans in a three-set sweep (25-19, 25-19, 25-18) to remain perfect on the season. The Tigers had a balanced and efficient attack Tuesday, led by freshman Lauren Dreves and Washington native Chelsea McCurdy.
Before the game, Coach Brent Crouch discussed how he wanted to run the offense through Dreves, and that plan worked to perfection. Dreves started a little slow in the first set but absolutely lit up the stat sheet the rest of the way. She finished the night with 10 kills on only 20 attempts, with one error, recording an astonishing .450 hitting percentage. She wasn’t slacking on the defensive end either, recording a block and four saves. The accuracy of her kill shots was pinpoint, consistently finding open holes in the Trojan defense. Madison Sheer, the star of Auburn's offense, served as a smokescreen, attracting Troy’s defense and opening things up for the freshman to shine.
Chelsea McCurdy served as an absolute wall tonight, recording 5 blocks. The Trojan offense was held to a .159 hitting percentage, largely due to McCurdy’s impact. She wasn’t slacking on the offensive side either, recording 6 kills on 9 attempts for an efficient .667 hitting percentage.
Efficiency was the story of the night for the Tigers, with 40 kills on only 84 attempts. They were selective in their attacks, and it clearly worked in their favor. On the defensive side, they were equally dominant, recording over 10 blocks for the second game in a row.
The Trojans played a completely different style of game, attacking at every opportunity. They were led by their star player Tori Hunter, who had 13 kills. Hunter has been dominant all season, striking with unreal power, but the Tigers were ready for her, holding her to a suboptimal .206 hitting percentage. Troy also lacked discipline tonight, committing 10 serving violations, many of which came in crucial moments and cost them multiple sets.
The highlight of the night was when the Tigers started the second set on an 11-0 run, led by Dreves consistently serving the ball efficiently and effectively. The wall of Chelsea McCurdy and Bel Zimmerman prevented the Trojans from firing up any form of offense during that run.
The Auburn Tigers resume action against the Cal Poly Mustangs on Thursday, September 5 at 6 p.m. CT in Neville Arena. The Tigers will look to remain undefeated. Listen on WEGL 91.1 or watch on the SEC Network +.
