Alabama
10-7,2-4SEC
Auburn
14-3,4-2SEC
Alabama Earns First Top-25 Win Since 2016 in Five-Set Thriller Over No. 25 Auburn
10/16/2024 9:56:00 PM | Volleyball
The Crimson Tide comes back from a 2-1 match deficit to beat the in-state rival Tigers
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama volleyball earned its first top-25 win since 2016 with a gutsy comeback victory over No. 25 Auburn in five sets Wednesday night in Foster Auditorium.
Alabama (10-7, 2-4 SEC) trailed Auburn (14-3, 4-2 SEC) after three sets, posting a hard-fought 26-24 win in the fourth to send the match to a deciding fifth. The Crimson Tide led 8-4 at the halfway mark but the Tigers later fought back to tie it at 13-13. Alabama reached set point twice before a Natalie Repetti service ace secured the 16-14 set win to take the match in five sets.
The win is Alabama's first over a top-25 opponent since defeating then-No. 19 Texas A&M at home on Sept. 23, 2016. The victory snaps an eight-match winning streak for Auburn in the all-time series, marking the Tide's first win over the Tigers since 2019 and its first at home since 2018.
In a match full of milestones, senior setter Kayla Keshock reached one individually as the fifth-year setter earned her 3,000th career assist during the course of the match. She led the team with 26 assists, needing 22 entering Wednesday to reach the 3,000 mark. Four Tide players had double-digit kills, led by 15 from Sophie Agee and Chaise Campbell along with 11 from Paris Thompson and 10 from Jordyn Towns. Callie Kieffer earned a double-double with 22 assists and 17 digs, her third of the season including the previous matchup against Auburn on Sept. 29.
FROM HEAD COACH RASHINDA REED
"I'm incredibly proud of this team. We've been working on finishing matches at the end these last two practices. I know we really wanted to change things after last weekend against Missouri and Arkansas. They really put their heart and soul into it and it paid off and transferred into this match today. The atmosphere in Foster Auditorium was incredible tonight. I appreciate all the love and support along the way in our journey. Everyone here believed and this win wasn't just ours, it was everybody in the gym. It took all of us to win that one today."
NOTES
- The win is Alabama's first over a ranked opponent since defeating then-No. 19 Texas A&M in five sets on Sept. 23, 2016
- The match snapped an eight-match winning streak from Auburn in the series, marking the Crimson Tide's first win over the Tigers sicne Oct. 2, 2019 and its first at home since Sept. 23, 2018
- Alabama is 4-1 in five-set matches this year, all of which saw the Tide trailing 2-1 after three sets
- Kayla Keshock passed the 3,000 career assists mark in the match, finishing with a team-leading 26 to push her career total to 3,004
- Chaise Campbell is now one block shy of 300 for her career
- Four players had double-digit kills, led by 15 from Sophie Agee and Chasie Campbell
- Callie Kieffer earned her third double-double of the season with 22 assists and 17 digs
- Jordyn Towns tied her career high with a team-leading six blocks
STAT LEADERS
- Kills: Sophie Agee, Chaise Campbell - 15
- Assists: Kayla Keshock - 26
- Digs: Francesca Bertucci - 25
- Blocks: Jordyn Towns - 6
- Aces: Natalie Repetti - 3
SET-BY-SET
- Set 1: Alabama 25, Auburn 23
- Set 2: Auburn 25, Alabama 15
- Set 3: Auburn 25, Alabama 22
- Set 4: Alabama 26, Auburn 24
- Set 5: Alabama 16, Auburn 14
UP NEXT: VS. NO. 15 KENTUCKY
- Sunday, Oct. 20 – Tuscaloosa, Ala. – 2 p.m. CT *Power of Pink Match*
