Auburn emerges from the Showdown on the Net with sweep of Virginia – Auburn Tigers

AUBURN, Ala.  –  Dominant from begin to end, Auburn Volleyball made fast work of Virginia, sweeping the Cavaliers, 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-21) to earn the victory within the inaugural Showdown on the Net. 

Head coach Brent Crouch couldn’t have requested for a greater begin to the match. Setters Kalei Edson and Shanelle Puetz took the prolific passing from the again row and turned it into probably the most environment friendly offensive performances to date. 

Lauren Dreves, Bel Zimmerman and Liz Markovska all delivered 4 kills. Eden Bower wasn’t too far behind with three of her personal. Puetz and Edson directed an offense that hit a strong .412. Coupled with 4 blocks, the Tigers ran away with the early lead. 

The early components of the second set had been performed pretty shut. It was tied at 13 apiece earlier than the sleeping Orange and Blue large pulled off its largest run of the season. 

Auburn outscored Virginia 12-3 in a flurry that included two blocks and two aces. 

Markovska dialed up a team-high six kills on her 12 swings, whereas Dreves stacked up 4 extra as effectively.

Service stress was paramount on Tuesday. Fresh off a 10-ace efficiency in opposition to Jackson State final week, Auburn provided 4 extra in opposition to Virginia. Puetz recorded a pair. Both Edson and Dreves tallied one as effectively. 

Leading two units to none, the Tigers appeared for the ultimate blow within the third. 

Again, the Cavaliers refused to go away quietly. The third body featured 12 ties and 4 lead adjustments. 

With the house aspect main 19-18, Crouch’s crew stepped on the fuel, discovering kills from Kate Mansfield, Zimmerman and Markovska. 

Zimmerman would end her night with 9 kills on a fair .500 hitting to associate with a team-high 5 blocks. 

As a workforce, Auburn piled up 10.5 blocks, marking the third straight match the Orange and Blue have reached double digits. 

Meanwhile, Markovska stacked up a game-high 11 kills with Dreves proper behind with 10. 

All of which added as much as a dominant sweep, and the primary win for the Southeastern Conference within the inaugural Showdown on the Net.

WHAT CROUCH HAD TO SAY
Head coach, Brent Crouch
“We’re getting much better as a team. You can see we’re starting to gel together on the court. People are also making very good decisions and we’re capitalizing on errors. I’m extremely pleased with where were at right now. Virginia is a good team, but we did some things tonight to make ourselves look very good in front of our home crowd. Florida State on Friday and Sunday will be another good test for us as we move forward.”

MATCH NOTES
– Auburn completed with 10.5 whole workforce blocks, marking the third straight match the Tigers have reached double digits and the fourth time in 2025
– The Tigers hit .333, marking the fourth time Auburn has hit north of .300 this season
– The Auburn protection held Virginia to simply .148, marking the fifth time the Tigers have held its opponent under .200 this season
– Lauren Dreves (10 kills) has reached double digits in all six matches this season
– Eden Bower’s eight kills had been a season-high
– Kate Mansfield has recorded a minimum of 4 blocks in 5 of the six matches this season
– Bel Zimmerman (.500 hitting proportion) has eclipsed .300 in three straight matches
– Zimmerman’s 9 kills and 5 blocks each matched her season excessive
– Alexis Dacosta (10 digs) reached double digits for the fifth time in six matches
– Grace Havlicek (5 blocks) has recorded a minimum of 4 blocks in 5 of the six matches this season
– Liz Markovska (11 kills) reached double digits for the fourth time in 2025