AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn Tigers (14-7, 4-6) were unable to snap out of their losing funk Wednesday, as they were defeated by the Ole Miss Rebels (14-7, 4-5) in four sets (25-20, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21).
Set one was all Ole Miss. The Rebels dropped in two quick service aces and got out to an early 11-6 lead. It was back and forth the rest of the way, as Auburn struggled to stack points off a side-out, ultimately dropping the set 25-20.
The Tigers hit just .154, while their opponents rocketed out to a .234 hitting percentage. Nia Washington received the majority of the swings for the Rebels in the first frame, piling up six kills on her 19 attempts. Emma Ammerman helped out as well, adding four kills, three digs and two blocks.
Ole Miss picked up right where they left off in the second set. After the Tigers found a bit of early life with a pair of blocks, two service aces and a 6-0 scoring run from the Rebels saw them jet out to a 10-5 lead.
Defensively, Ole Miss could do no wrong in the second set. They held two of the best Tiger hitters, Bella Bell and Bel Zimmerman, to a -0.042 hitting percentage on their combined 28 swings. The Rebels had 11 more kills than Auburn through two sets, putting up 32 to the Tigers’ 21.
The opposition’s attack continued to pile it on, enjoying up to a 10-point lead on their way to a dominating 25-17 set victory.
Auburn came out competing in the third set, going point for point with the Rebels. Tiger freshman Lauren Dreves started to heat up, as she brought her kill total to up to double-digits. Coach Crouch’s side went down 15-12 at the media timeout, but scrapped right back with a three-point run to knot things at 15 apiece.
It was a seesaw affair all the way to the close of the set with both teams trading points, but Zimmerman was able to find her stride with two kills and two crucial blocks in the final moments to help the Tigers take the set.
After hitting below .160 in each of the first two sets, the Auburn attack exploded for a .429 hitting percentage in the third. The Tigers also doubled their kill totals from sets one and two with an impressive 21.
Their momentum was quickly halted to start the fourth set. In almost identical fashion to the first couple of sets, Ammerman and Ole Miss picked up two service aces in the early going. Auburn recovered well after going down 10-3 to make it a close set, but were ultimately unable to catch the red-hot Rebels on the scoreboard.
On the eve of Halloween, the Ole Miss attack haunted the Auburn Tigers en route to their second road win in the SEC this season. The Rebels put four in double-figures for kills, as Washington and Payton Brgoch led the way with 17 each. Ammerman delivered five of the eight Ole Miss service aces, while also adding 12 kills, six digs and three blocks.
For the Tigers, Bel Zimmerman came alive in the final two sets to finish with 12 kills on 26 attempts for a solid .346 hitting percentage. Dreves also had a good night, adding a double-double with 12 kills and 18 digs.
Auburn will look to quickly put this one behind them and find a way to break their losing streak. Their next opportunity comes on Sunday, Nov. 3, when they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. That match is set for a 3 p.m. CT first serve and will be covered by the SECN+.
