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September 1, 2000
BIRMINGHAM- Auburn head coach Kevin Renshler notched his first career victory as the Tigers defeated South Alabama 3-0 in the opening game of the UAB Big Four Challenge Friday evening.
"This was an opportunity for us to establish our identity as a team," Renshler said. "We played competitively at times, but we need to be more consistent."
After winning the first two games by a decisive margin, the Tigers fought off a South Alabama rally in the third game to pull out the match victory.
After trailing 12-6 in the third game, South Alabama took a 14-13 lead over the Tigers. But, the Tigers responded by winning the next three points for a 16-14 victory.
Jaunelle Hamilton led the Tigers with eight kills, while Nicole Sandifer recorded seven kills. Crystal Bluth, Jennifer Gracen and Brooke McCarly each recorded six kills in their first outing of the season.
As a team, the Tigers recorded nine blocks while South Alabama recorded only two. The Tigers also edged the Jaguars in kills by a 39-38 margin, and forced 32 South Alabama attacking errors while committing only 16.
In the first game, the Tigers cruised to a 15-4 win over the Jaguars (0-1). Auburn had nine kills with only two attacking errors. The Jaguars committed 11 attacking errors in the first game.
Auburn went ahead 2-0 after winning the second game 15-8. Auburn battled back from an early deficit and forced South Alabama to commit 12 attacking errors to win the game.
The Tigers will take on the UAB Lady Blazers at 7 p.m. Saturday in the final match of the Big Four Challenge. Auburn will conclude their road trip on Monday with a match against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga at 7 p.m.
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