AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn volleyball returns to the Plains for a Wednesday night match vs. Georgia. The Tigers and the Bulldogs will go head-to-head at 6 p.m. CT and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPNU from Auburn Arena.
"We are ready to be back home in Auburn Arena this week," head coach Rick Nold said. "Georgia is a very talented team that was picked to finish high in the conference preseason poll. They are really strong on the pins and like to use their outsides a lot. But, they also have a lot of balance. The key is to get them out of system in our serving and hopefully we'll be able to do that."
PROMOTIONS
Join us for Workout Wednesday in Auburn Arena! We will have a 28-ft. rock wall, a FREE Yoga Class starting at 5:15 PM and giveaway Auburn volleyball headbands to the first 300 fans! Admission to all Auburn volleyball matches are free.
QUICK HITS
- Auburn (8-6, 1-3) earned a 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 18-25, 25-15) win on the road, topping Ole Miss in the Gillom Center Sunday afternoon.
- A trio of Tigers finished with double-digit kills on the day. Sophomore Anna Stevenson led the squad with 13 kills, tying her career high. Junior Shaina White and senior Brenna McIlroy followed with 11 and 10, respectively.
- The Auburn blockers once again put up big numbers, tying the team's best this season with 13 stuffs in the match. Stevenson recorded her second-straight contest with nine blocks, tying another career high.
- The Auburn defense at the net have put up some strong numbers. The squad is averaging 2.0 blocks/set after putting up three-straight double-digit blocking performances.
- Stevenson is among the conference's best individual ranking second in overall block average (1.34) and against SEC opponents only (1.77).
- Auburn middle blockers Stevenson and S. White have progressively become an efficient part of the Tiger offense this year. The pair are ninth and 10th in the conference in overall hitting percentage. White holds a .318 clip with Stevenson at .314.
- Against SEC opponents only, White is third overall at .432. Stevenson's .385 hitting percentage ranks seventh.
- McIlroy picked up where she has left off the last three season, leading the Tigers offensively on the outside. The Garland, Texas, product has 3.17 kills/set average on the year with 158 over 49 sets played.
With 1,144 kills so far in her career, McIlroy needs just 39 digs for 1,000 and will become the seventh Tiger to achieve both milestones in a career.
- Freshman Mica Allison as earned the starting nod in all matches at setter for the Tigers the year. The White Heath, Ill., native is fourth in the Southeastern Conference with a 10.06 assists/set average.
- Auburn's 2018 schedule boasts 10 2017 NCAA Tournament participants.
- Head Coach Rick Nold stands at 116-107 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 continues its home stretch, hosting rival Alabama Sunday afternoon. The two squads will face off at 1:30 p.m. CT on SEC+ in Auburn Arena.
SCOUTING GEORGIA
- The Georgia Bulldogs are 11-4 overall with a 2-2 record in the Southeastern Conference. The team opened last weekend with a three-set sweep of Ole Miss before dropping a five-set match at home vs. South Carolina.
- Junior setter Meghan Donovan leads the SEC and is among the Top 15 nationally with an 11.37 assists/set average.
- Donovan also excels from the service line, averaging .32 aces per set and ranking eighth in the SEC with that mark.
- Sophomore outside hitters T'ara Ceasar and Rachel Ritchie are among the league's Top 10 in kills/set, averaging 4.29 and 3.58, respectively.
- Sophomore Kendall Glover's 4.30 digs/set mark is third in the SEC.
A WIN OVER GEORGIA WOULD...
- Be Auburn's fifth-straight win over the Bulldogs and sixth in the last seven meetings.
AUBURN-GEORGIA SERIES
- Georgia leads the all-time series, 36-19, and is 14-9 in matches played in Auburn. The series dates back to 1975.
- Auburn has won nine of the last 13 meetings between the two schools.
- The Tigers stand at 7-4 overall against Georgia under Rick Nold
