Rivalry was on the Crimson Tide’s side Sunday as the team won 3-1 against the Auburn Tigers in the last home game of the season. Starting off strong in the first set and continuing into the second set, Alabama continuously trampled the Tigers. Though the Tide lost against South Carolina only two days before this match, Alabama confidently played four sets against Auburn before ultimately winning in the fourth set, 25-14.
Craving revenge after losing to Auburn last year, the Tide set out to win on their court. Boosted by confidence and consistency, head coach Ed Allen said this match proved the Tide has finally become one.
“We became more consistent in every facet of player,” Allen said. “The ball control didn’t break down, the serve was extremely tough, but we put a lot of pressure on them and what they like to do. They like to get up and be very aggressive with their attacks, and being out of system didn’t let them play the way they like to play.”
Crushing Auburn in both the first and second set, the Tide faltered slightly in the third. After losing by 14 points, the Tide had to think fast in order to win the match.
“Mentally coming out of that game, we just had to forget it and not think about it,” senior Kayla Fitterer said. “We knew Auburn, and that was their best game, and we can play our best game, so we just came out to win.”
Though the Tide had a minor set-back in the third match, it didn’t stop them from taking a fast lead in the fourth. Alabama scored against Auburn in a matter of minutes, going quickly from 3-2 to 19-7. Auburn tried to hold their own and come back later on in the set with 23-14, but the Tide overtook them within seconds, winning 25-13.
“It’s [an] awesome [game to win],” Fitterer said. “I know last year, and earlier this season, we got our butts kicked by Auburn and wanted a little revenge. Last year they came here and won, and we just wanted to win. Auburn is our biggest rival, so it felt good.”
This match is the confidence booster Alabama needed to go on and play the next two matches this week. The Tide faces a series of away matches against two highly ranked SEC teams this week. Coach Allen said he hopes that rest and continuing to do what the team is doing now will help them secure a place in the NCAA playoffs.
“We are playing four matches inside of about six days,” Allen said. “We are trying to be smart about how we prepare against Ole Miss next and ultimately Missouri on Friday.”
This win marks the end of the home season for Alabama, and ultimately will help define whether or not the Tide makes it into the NCAA playoffs.
