Sept. 1, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. -- The Auburn volleyball team faces another weekend of tough competition, traveling to beautiful Puerto Rico, for the SEC/ACC Puerto Rico Clasico, Sept. 2-3. The Tigers will take on No. 16 North Carolina Saturday at 5 p.m. CT and follows with another 5 p.m. CT match vs. NC State. Both contests will be played in Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, in Bayamon, P.R.
QUICK HITS
- The Tigers opened its 2017 home schedule Tuesday night and swept Alabama State, 3-0 (25-11, 29-27, 25-19), in Auburn Arena.
- Sophomores Shaina White and Gwyn Jones picked up 10 kills apiece for Auburn (3-1), while freshman Anna Stevenson had nine. Senior Courtney Crable chipped in eight, hitting .467 on the night.
- Senior setter Alexa Filley picked up her second double-double of the season, totaling 38 assists and 10 digs. Classmate Jesse Earl led all student-athletes with 13 digs, while Brenna McIlroy and Payton White added nine each.
- S. White is second in the SEC with a .554 hitting percentage. Filley is third in the league with a 10.85 assists/set average, while Earl is also in the top 10 with a 4.23 digs/set average.
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
- The No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels stand at 0-2 on the early season after facing two Top 10 opponents to start the year. The Heels fell in straight sets to both then-No. 4 Minnesota and then-No. 7 Wisconsin in Madison.
- The Tar Heels were the unanimous favorite to win the ACC in the 2017 ACC Preseason Poll.
- Taylor Leath, Julia Scoles and Taylor Fricano were named to the Preseason All-ACC team
- Leath, a redshirt junior, is the returning ACC Player of the Year. The 6-3 outside hitter also earned All-America honors last season.
- Scoles was the 2016 ACC Freshman of the Year and is a 6-1 outside hitter for the heels, while Fricano is a 6-3 middle blocker and an 2016 All-SEC performer.
A WIN OVER NORTH CAROLINA WOULD...
- Snap a three-match winning streak by the Tar Heels.
- Be Auburn's fifth win in program history over a nationally-ranked opponent.
AUBURN-UNC SERIES
- The Tar Heels hold a 4-1 record in the all-time series that dates back to 1979. The two teams have faced off on neutral ground four of the five meetings.
- Auburn and UNC last met in 2011 in Gainesville, Fla., with the Tar Heels taking a 3-0 victory.
- The Tigers last beat the Tar Heels in 1990, coming away with a five-set win.
SCOUTING NC STATE
- The NC State Wolfpack comes to Puerto Rico with a 0-3 record after hosting then-No. 8 Kansas and Missouri State in Reynolds Coliseum last weekend. The Wolfpack dropped a pair of matches to the Jayhawks, while also falling in five sets to the Bears.
- NC State will take on No. 3 Florida Saturday following Auburn's match vs. UNC.
- The Wolfpack was selected to finish fifth in the ACC this season.
- Senior Julia Brown led the squad in 2016 and returns as an All-ACC and AVCA All-Region performer. She has a team-best 46 kills so far this season and a 3.29 kills/set average.
- Senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Kearney leads the squad with 20 blocks and a 1.43 blocks/set average.
A WIN OVER NC STATE WOULD...
- Give Auburn its second win over the Wolfpack in the series history.
AUBURN-NC STATE SERIES
- Sunday's meeting will be the first since the team's last met in 1991. The two squads are locked at 1-1 all time.
- Auburn captured a 3-1 win over the Wolfpack in the last meeting between the two programs.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to Auburn Arena for the annual War Eagle Invitational, hosting South Alabama and Clemson. Auburn takes on USA Friday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. CT. in Auburn Arena. The Jaguars and Clemson will face off at 12 p.m. CT Saturday, Sept. 9, with the two Tiger teams closing out the weekend at 6 p.m. CT. Admission is free to all matches.
For the latest on Auburn volleyball, follow @AuburnVB on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuburnVB.