Oct. 18, 2009
AUBURN, Ala. – South Carolina tied up the match after taking the second set, but the Auburn Tigers would prove to be too much as they took a 28-26, 18-25, 25-13, 25-17 win on Sunday afternoon.
Senior outside hitter Ivana Kujundzic led South Carolina (11-8, 3-7 SEC) with 16 kills and 17 digs, putting together her seventh double-double of the season. Junior middle blocker Megan Laughlin added 13 kills, while senior libero Sarah Cline had 15 digs. Katherine Culwell and Kelly Fidero led the Tigers (12-8, 4-5 SEC) with 18 kills each, with Culwell adding 11 digs. Sarah Bullock had 10 kills and 10 digs, while Alyssa Davis posted nine kills and seven blocks. Auburn’s Liz Crouch had a match-best 23 digs, while Christina Solverson added 12 digs and 22 assists.
A five-point run put the Gamecocks on top, 11-7, in the first set. In the stretch, Kujundzic, Laughlin and junior Hannah Lawing all had kills. The Tigers fought back, getting to within one after a three-point swing. Another three-point run keyed by a Davis kill and block assist tied up the match at 18-18, causing South Carolina to call timeout. The teams traded points before Auburn posted three consecutive points, capped by a Fidero kill, to take a 22-20 advantage. Kujundzic tied it at 22-22 with back-to-back kills, forcing Auburn to use its final timeout. The Tigers got a Fidero kill out of the break, but the Gamecocks got to set point first after a Kujundzic kill and a Tiger attack error. Auburn fought off two set points before getting a chance to clinch at 26-25 after a Fidero kill and a Gamecock error. South Carolina tied it again on a Kujundzic kill, but the Tigers took the next two points, first on a Davis kill followed by a Davis and Morgan Johns block to take the first set, 28-26. Four Auburn blocks, three assisted by Davis, were the difference.
Momentum swung back in forth in the second, with the teams tying six times in the earlier part of the frame. An eight-point Gamecock string that included three Laughlin kills forced Auburn to burn both timeouts and put South Carolina on top, 23-16. Back-to-back Bullock kills got Auburn to within five and prompted South Carolina head coach Ben Somera to use his final timeout of the frame. The break worked, with the Tigers putting the serve in the net before Kujundzic ended the frame with a back-row kill at 25-18. The Gamecocks hit .308 in the second, led by Kujundzic’s .667 (6-0-9).
Auburn came out of the break on a roll, taking leads of 5-2, 8-5, 13-6 and 17-8 at different points. One five-point stretch included two Auburn blocks and three other Gamecock hitting errors. The Tigers closed out the set at 25-13 on a Bullock kill off the block. The Tigers hit .407 in the third and held the Gamecocks to a -.100 percentage.
The fourth started much like the third with Auburn taking eight of 10 points in one stretch to grab the 12-7 lead. Auburn’s lead grew to 14-8, 17-10 and 19-11 before the Gamecocks got consecutive points for the second time in the set, causing the Tigers to use a timeout. The Gamecocks’ momentum didn’t last, as Bullock had three kills in a four-point stretch to put the Tigers to a 22-14 lead. Auburn closed the set at 25-17 on a final South Carolina attack error. The Tigers hit .429 in the final frame.
Auburn won every statistical category, including a .313-.146 edge in hitting percentage. Kujundzic moved into eighth all-time in attack attempts with her 42 on the day, passing Kim DeNeve on the career charts.
The Gamecocks host Mississippi and Arkansas next weekend at the Volleyball Competition Facility.
