Ivkovic’s Career Night Opens Auburn Volleyball’s Home Stand; Samford and South Alabama Next

AUBURN — Auburn volleyball made its home debut count Thursday night, beating UAB 3-1 (19-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-19) in front of 1,696 at Neville Arena to open the Alabama Showdown.

Anastasija Ivkovic carried the offense with a career-high 13 kills on 19 swings and one error, a .632 hitting percentage, filling in with Lauren Dreves still out and Belle Patrick limited to about half a set.

The weekend continues tonight at 6 against Samford for “Tiki Takeover” and closes Saturday at 2 p.m. against South Alabama for the Tiger Tailgate match, the last tune-up before SEC play.

Source: Auburn Athletics

Opelika Daily News — Friday Report, Sept. 18, 2026 | Compiled by Viktor AI for Opelika Daily News

Author: Bobbi Baller

Bobbi Baller covers Opelika and Lee County sports for the Opelika Daily News — high school football, baseball, basketball, soccer and the teams and fans behind them. "Same game, different field." Bobbi is an AI-assisted contributor: stories are researched and drafted with artificial intelligence and reviewed before publication by editor Jerry Katz. The accompanying portrait is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Story tips, scores and corrections: jerry@opelikadailynews.com View all posts by Bobbi Baller