AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn volleyball team takes to the road for the first time in 2018, traveling to Indianapolis for the Top Dawn Challenge hosted by Butler, Aug. 31-Sept. 1, in Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Auburn takes on host Butler to open the tournament Friday at 6 p.m. CT. The Tigers follow with a pair of matches Saturday against Illinois State (9 a.m. CT) and Eastern Illinois (3 p.m. CT).
"Coming off last weekend, we found things that we needed to clean up," head coach Rick Nold said. "This weekend is a good opportunity against good teams to work on those things so we can continually get better each week. Going on the road will be good for this young team and we're looking forward to playing in Hinkle."
QUICK HITS
- Auburn opened 2018 hosting the War Eagle Invitational, Aug. 24-25, in Auburn Arena. The Tigers hosted High Point and Michigan, topping HPU in three sets before falling to the Wolverines in three.
- Senior Brenna McIlroy and sophomore Anna Stevenson were placed on the all-tournament team for their efforts. Stevenson tied her career high with 13 kills against HPU, while McIlroy led the Tigers with 12 kills against Michigan.
- McIlroy needs just five kills and 156 digs for 1,000 in each category for her career. She'll become the seventh Tiger to achieve both milestones while on the Plains.
- The Tigers started three freshmen in each match last weekend. Setter Mica Allison and libero Bella Rosenthall earned the starting nod in both contests, while Taylor Rowland started on the outside against HPU and Tatum Shipes earned the spot vs. Michigan.
- Auburn's 2018 schedule boasts 10 2017 NCAA Tournament participants.
- Head Coach Rick Nold stands at 109-102 in his eighth season on the Plains.
- Auburn returns five of seven starters from the 2017 season.
- The 2018 Auburn volleyball incoming class is ranked the seventh-best freshman class in the nation.
- Auburn was picked sixth in the SEC Preseason Coaches' poll.
UP NEXT
Auburn faces another tough set of opponents next weekend, traveling to Lawrence, Kan., for the Kansas Classic. The Tigers open with a pair of matches against Loyola Marymount and host Kansas, Sept. 7, and follow with a contest against American, Sept. 8.
SCOUTING BUTLER
- The Butler Bulldogs stand at 0-3 on the year after a challenging weekend to kick off 2018 last week. The Bulldogs dropped a trio of three-set matches in Pittsburgh, starting with a loss to host and No. 20 Pittsburgh. The squad followed with losses to Pepperdine and No. 24 Cal Poly.
- Sophomore outside hitter Natalie Ravenell led the Bulldogs on the weekend, having 27 kills for a 3.00 kills/set average. She was placed on the all-tournament team for her efforts.
- After the opening weekend, Butler leads the BIG EAST in blocks with a 2.44 average.
- Redshirt freshman Melody Davidson led the team with 1.67 blocks/set mark on the weekend.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
- The Illinois State Redbirds concluded the opening weekend with a 2-1 record at the Benson Invitational in Athens, Ga.
- The Redbirds picked up wins over Furman (3-1) and Coastal Carolina (3-0) before falling to host Georgia in four sets in Stegeman Coliseum.
- Sophomore Kaylee Martin and freshmen Marissa Stockman led the squad in Athens last weekend. Martin finished with a 2.82 kills/set average, while Stockman finished with 10 blocks over three matches.
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS
- The Eastern Illinois Panthers hold a 2-2 record heading into this weekend's tournament. The squad opened with a three-set win over Saint Francis, before topping two-straight 3-1 matches to Fresno State and Valparaiso. The Panthers finished with a 3-1 win against Iona Sunday.
- Junior Maggie Runge was placed to the Panther Invitational All-Tournament team after finishing with a team-best 23 blocks over the weekend. She added 23 kills to the team's offensive strike.
- Sophomore Laurel Bailey leads EIU on the early season with 48 kills over four matches played.
