Auburn Opens SEC Play At Ole Miss, Georgia

Sept. 21, 2017

Auburn at Ole Miss (Sept. 22) / at Georgia (Sept. 24)

• Game Notes
• Watch ESPN (Friday) | Watch ESPN (Sunday)

MATCHES

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn volleyball team opens the Southeastern Conference portion of 2017 on the road, traveling to Ole Miss and Georgia this weekend.

The Tigers take on the Rebels Friday, Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m. CT. The squad follows with a 12:30 p.m. CT match in Athens, Ga., Sunday, Sept. 24. Both matches will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

QUICK HITS
- At 7-2 overall, the Tigers are off to their best start since the 2013 season where Auburn opened with a 9-1 mark.
- Auburn faced a difficult non-conference slate, going against five ACC schools and one Big Ten squad. In addition, the Tigers faced off with three nationally-ranked squads.
- Sophomore transfer Shaina White is second in the conference and seventh in the nation in hitting efficiency, having 89 kills on the year with a .476 attack percentage.
- Senior Jesse Earl, a two-time AVCA All-South Region honoree and an All-SEC performer, is averaging 4.61 digs/set to rank fourth in the conference. She reached a season-best at Florida State (9/16), totaling 30 digs in the five-set match. Overall, Earl has totaled double-digit digs in all nine matches this year.
- The team's 1.33 aces/set average ranks fifth in the conference as the team has totaled 44 so far on the season.
- Earl leads the squad with 17 on the year and is fourth in the SEC with a .52 average. She tied her career high at Florida State, finishing with five against the nationally-ranked team.
- Senior setter Alexa Filley is among the best in the SEC in assists so far this season, ranking fourth overall with a 11.00 assists/set average.
- Filley is 80 assists away from moving past Janel Newkirk (1989-92) for the No. 2 spot on the career assists list in program history. Piper Craig (1995-98) holds the top spot with 5,053, while Filley is currently in third with 3,991.
- Sophomore Gwyn Jones has been successful on the right side, while also contributing at middle. She leads the team with 94 kills and a 2.85 average after reaching a career-best 19 kills at Florida State.

SCOUTING OLE MISS
- The Ole Miss Rebels came out of its non-conference schedule with a 9-4 overall record, including a 7-2 mark at home in the Gillom Sports Center.
- The team's last time out had them hosting a pair of matches vs. South Alabama, Sept. 15-16. The two contests were in place of the originally planned trip to Orlando that was canceled because of Hurricane Irma.
- The Rebels fell to the Jaguars on the first night, 3-2, before rebounding with a four-set victory over USA the next day.
- Ole Miss was chosen to finish 12th in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- Senior Lexi Thompson is 10th in the conference with a 3.33 kills/set average, having 173 on the year.
- Sophomore Emily Stroup is in a close second on the team with 172 kills and a 3.31 kills/set average. She's also among the league's best in points with a 3.76 points/set average.
- Sophomore Nayo Warnell has a team-best .362 hitting percentage, which ranks seventh in the SEC.
- Defensively, Ole Miss is second in the league with a 17.29 digs/set average. Junior libero Caroline Adams' 4.08 digs/set average ranks sixth.

A WIN OVER OLE MISS WOULD...
- Would be Auburn's fourth-straight win over the Rebels and the eighth in the last 10 meetings.
- Be the team's third-consecutive win in SEC openers.

SCOUTING GEORGIA
- Under first-year head coach Tom Black, the Bulldogs enter conference place with a 10-3 record overall, including a perfect 6-0 record at home in the Ramsey Center.
- The team had a trio of matches last week to close out non-conference play, starting with a three-set loss at Kennesaw State, Sept. 13. UGA rebounded with a pair of 3-1 wins at over over Texas Tech (Sept. 14) and in-state rival Georgia Tech (Sept. 15).
- Georgia was chosen to finish 11th in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- Freshman T'ara Ceasar was named this week's SEC Freshman of the Week. The outside hitter is fourth in the league is kills (4.21/set) and second in service aces (.57/set).
- Sophomore Meghan Donovan earned the week's SEC Setter of the Week nod. She is third in the conference with a 11.18 assists/set average.
- Freshman Rachel Ritchie ranks second in the SEC in kills with a 4.43/set average. She's also among the leagues best in aces (.33/set, ninth).
- Defensively, freshman Kendall Glover is 10th in digs (3.67/set), while junior Anna Kate Karstens is ninth in blocks (1.10/set).

A WIN OVER GEORGIA WOULD...
- Would be Auburn's fourth-straight win over the Bulldogs and fifth in the last six meetings.

UP NEXT
The Tigers finally return to The Plains after two weeks on the road, hosting Missouri and Arkansas in Auburn Arena. The two Tiger squads will face off at 7 p.m. CT, Sept. 29, and the Razorbacks come to town for a 1:30 p.m. CT match, Oct. 1. Both contests will be broadcast on SEC Network+.