AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn volleyball continues its long road stretch, traveling to Kennesaw State for a midweek match Tuesday. The Tigers and the Owls face off at 6 p.m. CT in Kennesaw, Ga., in the Convocation Center.
QUICK HITS
- Auburn traveled to Lawrence, Kan., for the competitive Kansas Invitational, Sept. 7-8. The Tigers opened with a three-set (18-25, 20-25, 16-25) loss to Loyola Marymount before rebounding with a 3-2 (25-18, 18-25, 22-25, 27-25, 15-6) victory over host Kansas Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd. The Tigers capped the weekend with a sweep of American (25-21, 26-24, 25-23).
- Freshmen Taylor Rowland and Mica Allison were placed on the all-tournament team for their efforts.
- Rowland, this week's SEC Freshman of the Week, led the team with a 4.36 kills/set average and finished with a .295 hitting percentage over 11 sets played. The Charlotte, N.C., product totaled double-digit kills in all three matches, including 23 kills against host Kansas.
- In addition, Rowland hit .480 against LMU, going 13-1-25 over three sets.
- Freshman libero Bella Rosenthall put together a big performance against the Jayhawks Friday night. The Yorktown, Ind., product finished with a career-best 20 digs in the 3-2 win.
- Senior Brenna McIlroy picked up her third double-double of the year against the Jayhawks, having 14 kills and 14 digs. Also in the match, McIlroy set a season-best with three service aces.
- Junior middle blocker Shaina White came alive in the team's win vs. American, finishing with a season-best .688 hitting percentage. She went 12-1-16 offensively for the Tigers, while adding five blocks.
- Junior Gwyn Jones hit .421 against the Jayhawks, finishing with nine kills on 19 attempts with just one error.
- Auburn's 2018 schedule boasts 10 2017 NCAA Tournament participants.
- Head Coach Rick Nold stands at 113-104 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
The Tigers return to Auburn Arena Sunday, hosting Florida State in the final non-conference match of 2018. Auburn and the Seminoles will go head-to-head at 12 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE
- The Kennesaw State Owls stand at 6-3 overall following an 0-3 mark at the Panther Invitational in Pittsburgh. KSU dropped a five-set content to host and then-No. 11 Pittsburgh before falling in three to Dayton. The Owls capped the tough weekend with a 3-1 loss to then-No. 12 Washington.
- KSU is riding a home-winning streak of 15 matches that date back to Oct. 21, 2016.
- Lauren Chastang leads the team with 123 kills on the year and a 3.42 kills/set average.
- Setter Lexi Broadwater has paced the Owls to a .233 hitting percentage and has a 10.75 assists/set average.
- Karlee Groover has a team-best 3.86 digs/set average with 139 on the year.
A WIN OVER KSU WOULD...
- Be Auburn's fourth-straight win in the series history.
AUBURN-KSU SERIES
- The teams have only met three times with Auburn holding a 3-0 record in the series.
- Auburn and KSU last met in 2016 in Auburn where the Tigers held on for a 3-2 victory over the Owls.
