MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The University of West Alabama volleyball team closed out its Gulf South Conference road trip Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 victory over Auburn University at Montgomery inside the AUM Athletics Complex.
Coming off a five-set victory over Valdosta State on Friday, the Tigers carried their momentum into Saturday's contest, defeating the Warhawks by scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-9.
West Alabama improves to 24-3 overall and 11-2 in GSC play, completing a perfect 2-0 conference road weekend.
THE MATCH
West Alabama established an early advantage in the opening set, using kills from Katerina Korre, Klára Bobánová and Duru Seber to build a 5-1 lead. The Warhawks attempted to close the gap, but the Tigers maintained their advantage while applying pressure from the service line.
With West Alabama leading 12-8, Rachele Zanini delivered consecutive service aces to extend the lead to 14-8. AUM continued battling, cutting the deficit to three points at 18-15 before the Tigers responded with a late offensive push.
Korre delivered two kills down the stretch, while Zanini added another service ace to bring West Alabama within two points of the set. Bobánová eventually secured the 25-17 victory with the final kill.
The second set featured a more competitive battle as AUM challenged West Alabama throughout the opening stages. The Warhawks built a 7-5 advantage before the Tigers worked their way back, with the teams exchanging points and finding themselves tied at 13.
Bobánová helped West Alabama regain momentum with several timely kills, while Korre and Jazlyn Snow contributed offensively to keep the Tigers ahead.
AUM remained within striking distance, cutting West Alabama's advantage to 21-20 late in the set. The Tigers responded with two kills from Bobánová before Charlotte Kerscher delivered consecutive service aces to close out the 25-21 victory.
Holding a 2-0 match advantage, West Alabama took control in the third set, delivering its most efficient offensive performance of the afternoon.
The Tigers recorded 13 kills on 26 attempts while committing just two attack errors for a .423 hitting percentage. Defensively, West Alabama limited the Warhawks to six kills and a .038 hitting percentage in the final set.
The Tigers secured a commanding 25-9 victory to complete the straight-set sweep and close out their conference road weekend.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Sophomore Klára Bobánová earned UWA Player of the Match honors after leading the Tigers with a match-high 15 kills on 23 attempts, hitting an impressive .565 while adding three block assists and a service ace.
Bobánová provided consistent offensive production throughout the contest, including the set-winning kill in the opening set. Her performance followed a 30-kill outing against Valdosta State on Friday, giving her 45 kills across the Tigers' two weekend victories.
BY THE NUMBERS
West Alabama finished with 37 kills, 34 assists and 31 digs while hitting .309 as a team.
Korre followed Bobánová offensively with 10 kills on a .364 hitting percentage and added three service aces. Seber provided an efficient performance with five kills on seven attempts, hitting .714 without committing an attack error.
Zanini directed the Tigers' offense with 28 assists while contributing four service aces and seven digs. Her performance came just one day after setting a new UWA single-match assists record with 70 against Valdosta State.
The Tigers were particularly effective from the service line, recording 14 service aces compared to three for AUM. Zanini led the effort with four aces, followed by Korre with three. Ola Winiarek and Kerscher each added two.
Defensively, Kerscher and Zanini collected seven digs apiece, while Winiarek contributed six.
For AUM, Chelsea Daffin led the Warhawks with 11 kills, followed by Mya Lacey with seven. Addison Vinson recorded 26 assists as the Warhawks finished with a .125 team hitting percentage.
UP NEXT
West Alabama returns to Pruitt Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to host Christian Brothers University in Gulf South Conference action. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
