Match 7: Gophers host Auburn (9-13-24)

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Pair of aces: Auburn volleyball's Paige Thibault competes against sister: 'We're best friends'

auburntigers.com

AUBURN, Ala. – The family of Auburn volleyball’s Paige Thibault will be easy to spot Friday when the Tigers play at Minnesota.

They’ll be wearing custom jerseys – half Auburn’s orange and blue, and half Minnesota’s maroon and gold – displaying Paige’s No. 13 and her sister Kate’s No. 6.

“They already made them,” Paige said. “There’s Auburn and my number, then Minnesota and my sister’s number, and our last name on the back.”

A senior libero, Paige is in her second season on the Plains while Kate is a sophomore defensive specialist for the Golden Gophers.

When Paige transferred to Auburn from Florida International after starting her college career at Indiana Wesleyan, the Tigers’ trip to Minnesota had not yet been scheduled.

“What are the odds of that?” Paige remembers thinking when the 2024 schedule was announced. “It’s been this big talking point between my family and all my friends.”

Minnesota’s Maturi Pavilion seats 5,700, enough to accommodate the approximately 5,000 residents of the Thibaults’ hometown of Watertown, many of whom will be driving 30 miles east to Minneapolis to see the sisters compete.

“We’re expecting a lot of people,” Paige said. “They usually pack that arena and sell it out. We’ll see. I’ve never played in an environment like that.

“It’s going to be so fun. Their volleyball team is a big deal and it’s everyone’s dream who grew up there, even my dream. Being able to play in that arena is going to be awesome.”

Paige, two years older than Kate, keeps in close contact with her sister, even when they were separated by thousands of miles.

“We’re best friends,” Paige said. “We still talk every single day, multiple times a day. I’m really excited to see her. I’m hoping to see my family in between our practices, training and scouting.”

Kate began her college career at Oregon before transferring to her home-state school after a coaching change.

“My sister and I always went to games there growing up,” Paige said. “It’s kind of ironic that she’s there now.”

The Thibault sisters’ volleyball prowess came naturally. Their mom, Rachel, played at the University of Denver while their dad, Chris, played amateur beach volleyball. Their aunt played collegiately and their grandfather coached college volleyball and played recreationally throughout his sixties.

Rachel Thibault coached high school volleyball when her daughters were younger, and later became their club coach.

“Kate and I would go to the games and practices with her and do everything,” Paige said.

The feelings of homecoming, nostalgia and family reunion will fade when the ball is served Friday night.

“I’m pretty locked in,” Paige said. “Once I sub into the court, I can’t hear anything around me.”

On the verge of helping undefeated Auburn (6-0) enter the top 25, Paige Thibault cherishes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play against her sister in their home state, an event deserving of a two-of-a-kind jersey.

“It’s super special,” Paige said. “It’s a cool way to close out because it’s my last year playing.”

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Tigers shock Seminoles for top 15 upset

auburntigers.com

In their last match the 6-0Tigers defeated Florida State.

AUBURN, Ala. – Behind a season-high 17 blocks and 76 digs, Auburn (6-0, 0-0) held Florida State (4-1, 0-0) to just .124 hitting to secure its first top-25 victory in Neville Arena since 2015, 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-20).

Out of the gates, it was clear the Seminoles wanted to run fast early and often. FSU hit its best percentage in the first set (.250) and still, the Tigers were right on their heels.

Three kills apiece from Madison Scheer, Lauren Dreves and Bella Bell, combined with 3.5 total team blocks had the set tied at 20-20. Even though Florida State managed a mini-run to grab breathing room and win the opening frame, Brent Crouch’s crew remained confident they’d still have the upper hand.

Auburn’s gigantic front row of Chelsey McCurdy, Emma Moore and Bella Bell started to find their rhythm in set No. 2. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ back row began to come alive as well.

Dreves, the freshman from Vancouver, Washington was seemingly everywhere on Sunday. Eight of her 17 digs came in the second set. Peyton Dunn added six of her own and libero Alexis Dacosta ran down another five. Dreves would finish with 11 kills and 17 digs to mark the first double-double of her career.

On the offensive side of things, Madison Scheer was busy doing Madison Scheer things. The Eureka, Missouri product stacked seven kills on her 17 swings. She’d finish with a team-high 15.

All totaled, Auburn held Florida State’s high-powered offense to .125 hitting and evened the match a one set all.

The third set was as balanced as they come for the Tigers.

Dunn and Kalei Edson orchestrated an offense that saw four kills from Bel Zimmerman, four from Bella Bella and another three from Scheer. Auburn’s setting duo also claimed the set’s two aces for the Orange and Blue

Scheer, Bell, Moore, Zimmerman and McCurdy all tallied blocks while Dacosta captained a back row that chased down 18 digs. By the end of the set, Florida State was hitting its lowest percentage of the match (.054) and gave Auburn a 2-1 advantage.

There would be no letup in the fourth.

With the crowd (1,511) and momentum on its side, Auburn stuck to the game plan to finish off the upset.

Another balanced attack was bolstered by the front row’s best effort blocking-wise. Scheer and Moore each rejected four Seminole attempts, Zimmerman and McCurdy grabbed a pair of block assists and Bella Bell finished her seven-block afternoon with one solo effort.

The deciding point was a fitting example of what Auburn Volleyball is in 2024. As Dreves and the defense kept the play alive, Emma Moore created something out of nothing to tap down the final kill for the Tigers’ upset victory, 3-1.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Gophers swept Auburn 21, 22, 16. Lydia Grote hit .357 with 11 kills and 3 aces. Grote, serving first in sets 1 and 3, got Minnesota off to solid starts in those sets. Shaffmaster had some bump-ins trying to get past her middles on the way to the ball. Nevertheless, she posted 6 kills hitting .417

Volleyball vs Auburn on 9/13/2024 - Box Score - University of Minnesota Athletics

The official box score of Volleyball vs Auburn on 9/13/2024

gophersports.com

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Volleyball unable to get past No. 19 Minnesota

auburntigers.com

What Crouch had to say…​

“Once the ball started to get back over the net, back and forth, in transition and even on first ball when we were serving, we played very good defense. That second set in particular, we held them to .091. That is just an incredibly good serving team. Everyone that I’ve talked to who's played them has said that’s the best serving team they’ve seen. It looked like that on video. It’s really tough to be a team that’s serving like that. We had some good runs but there’s also some room to grow there. But I love where we are at this point of the year.”

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

 

[walleye]

Great win over a quality team. Good all around play.

 

[let'sbeclear]

Observations from a novice volleyball fan:

1. Gopher serving has improved dramatically.
2. Defense, especially digging (86 digs last night in 3 set!) and coverage against blocks and tips has been remarkably better than last year. There seems to be increased effort here.
3. Connection between setter and middles still needs improving. Too many sets resulted in tips and even untouched balls.
4. It seems that for some Gopher hitters, it's an either-or -- an all-out kill or a tip. Tooling the blockers is also an option, but seldom used, I think.
5. Couldn't agree more, though, with walleye: This was a quality win over a quality team. None of the sets were -- or, maybe, should have been -- as close as the final scores.
6. Why does a team called Auburn, which is a reddish brown, have orange and blue as its colors?