Auburn knew the exact person to turn to when they needed a big play against Missouri volleyball, a team they hadn’t beaten since 1996.
Junior outside hitter Rebekah Rath provided the spark Auburn needed to end the 12-match losing streak to Missouri with a 25-23, 25-14, 25-15 straight sweep. Rath’s offensive attack produced a game-high 17 kills and a .277 hitting percentage, which led all players who had 10 or more total attempts. She added eight digs and a game-high four blocks to lead Auburn’s defensive stand as well.
Nine total Auburn errors and Missouri’s strong offensive display limited Rath’s impact and kept Auburn close throughout the first set. These factors held her to four kills and a service error, while Missouri’s defense held Auburn to a set-low .179 hitting percentage.
Even with Missouri’s success, Rath managed to expose one of the Tigers’ weaknesses through her play; Rath’s attack emphasized the reception problems Missouri has continued to display this season. On her first kill, she received the ball a few feet above the net and hammered it toward Missouri freshman middle blocker Trista Strasser who could not respond fast enough.
Rath’s offensive prowess revealed itself even more with Auburn leading the second set 6-3. After receiving an assist from sophomore setter Jackie Barrett, she elevated and delivered a cross-court kill in front of a diving attempt by Missouri sophomore defensive specialist Emily Brown.
The kill marked the first of 6 in the set for Rath and displayed the vision she has to recognize the weakest defensive areas. Rath’s second kill of the set showcased a similar theme as she delivered a perfectly-placed ball in front of another diving Missouri player to stretch Auburn’s lead to 10-7. With a commanding 24-14 lead, Rath ended the second set by striking a hard kill off Brown’s hands to give Auburn a 2-0 set advantage.
Her second set performance gave a hint of what the third set would look like, too. After Auburn leapt to a 3-2 advantage, Rath tipped the ball into the middle of Missouri’s defense for her first kill of the set, and eleventh overall, to make it 4-2. Rath showcased the power of her attack later on in the set when she overmatched Missouri blockers on consecutive plays to polish off a long rally from both sides and increase Auburn’s lead to 13-6.
Looking to finish Missouri off, Rath rose up alongside senior middle blocker Elif Yavuz to block Missouri freshman right side hitter Jordan Iliff to bring Auburn four points away from victory. With added confidence, Rath capitalized two plays later with another cross-court kill to make it 23-14. Then she pushed Auburn to the brink of victory two plays after with a light touch, floating above the outstretched hands two blockers and dropping to the court to bring Auburn to match point.
In almost all of her kills, Rath targeted underclassmen and exposed areas where the young Missouri team can improve for future matches. Her balanced attack gave Missouri an example of a skilled veteran player and should serve as a learning opportunity for the young squad.
Rath’s performance brought her season total of kills to 292 with 4.56 kills per set and she has another opportunity to improve on these numbers Sunday afternoon in another match with Missouri at 1 p.m.
Edited by Mason Arneson | marneson@themaneater.com
