Sept. 15, 2016
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn volleyball team concludes its non-conference schedule in the state of Michigan, traveling to Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti for the Michigan Challenge, Sept. 16-17.
The Tigers will face No. 23 Michigan Friday night, taking on the Wolverines in Cliff Keen Arena in Ann Arbor with first serve at 6 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast on BTN Plus. Auburn closes out the weekend in Ypsilanti with a pair of matches in the EMU Convocation Center Saturday. The Tigers take on Colgate at 10 a.m. CT and cap the day with a 6 p.m. face off vs. Eastern Michigan.
QUICK HITS
- The Tigers hosted the Auburn Invitational in Auburn Arena, Sept. 9-10, welcoming Memphis, Miami (OH), and Jacksonville to The Plains.
- Auburn opened with a sweep of Memphis Friday afternoon and held the visiting Tigers to a .082 attack percentage.
- The host team followed with a tough five-set loss to Miami (OH) Friday night. Brenna McIlroy, Alexa Filley, and Jesse Earl each had a double-double in the match.
- The Tigers capped the weekend with a 3-0 victory over Jacksonville Saturday afternoon.
- Senior Breanna Barksdale and junior Alexa Filley were placed on the all-tournament team.
- Junior Jesse Earl leads the SEC and is tied for 19th nationally with a 5.23 digs/set average.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
- The Wolverines are the 23rd-ranked team in the country with an 8-1 overall record.
- Most recently, Michigan was in Pittsburgh for the Panther Invitational. There, the team swept American and Coastal Carolina before falling to tournament host Pittsburgh in five sets on the final day.
- Sophomore libero Jenna Lerg leads the team with 5.65 digs/set average and has 175 on the season. That total includes a 39-dig performance against Pittsburgh.
- Senior Abby Cole has a team-best 102 kills with a 3.64 kills/set average, while classmate Kelly Murphy is at a 3.11 average and sophomore Carly Skjodt has a 3.10 average.
- Three Wolverines are exceling in the blocks category. Junior Claire Kieffer-Wright has a team-best 1.26 average, while Cole (1.14) and Cori Cocker (1.06) are also among the best on the squad.
SCOUTING COLGATE
- The Raiders enter the weekend with a 3-5 mark on the season following a 1-2 showing at the Cal State Fullerton Classic.
- Last weekend, Colgate opened with a 3-1 victory over The Citadel before dropping a pair of five-set matches to Air Force and Cal State Fullerton.
- Senior outside hitter Kathleen Harris has a team-best 3.41 kills/set average and is second on the team in digs with a 2.84 average.
- Senior libero Madison McAndrews is average 4.16 digs per set for the Raiders.
SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN
- The EMU Eagles are 4-6 in 2016 and are coming off a successful weekend at the College of Charleston Classic, going 2-1 on the road.
- A pair of youngsters in sophomore Jordan Smith and freshman Alex Sutton lead the team offensively as Smith averages 2.48 kills/set and Sutton has a 2.27 average.
- Junior Samantha Falco is having a solid season in the middle, averaging 1.17 blocks/set.
UP NEXT
Auburn kicks off its SEC schedule with a home match vs. rival LSU, Sept. 23, in Auburn Arena. First serve is at 7 p.m. CT. The Tigers follow with a road match at nationally-ranked Texas A&M, Sept. 25, at 2 p.m. in College Station, Texas.