AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn volleyball team caps a long trek away from the Plains Friday, Oct. 19, at Missouri. The two Tiger squads will go head-to-head at 6:30 p.m. CT in Mizzou Arena. The contest will be streamed online on SEC+.
"This is the final match of a long stretch on the road," head coach Rick Nold said. "Missouri is always a tough team, defensively, with big blockers at the net. It'll be another test for this youthful team against a strong opponent."
QUICK HITS
- Auburn (8-10, 1-7) is led by senior outside hitter Brenna McIlroy. The Garland, Texas, product has a team-best 3.02 kills/set average and is second on the squad at 2.53 digs/set. McIlroy picked up the first start of her career at libero at LSU (Oct. 14) and led the team with 13 digs.
- The Auburn defense at the net have put up some strong numbers. The squad is averaging 2.04 blocks/set after putting up double-digit blocking performances in four of the last seven matches.
- Sophomore Anna Stevenson is among the conference's best individual ranking second in overall block average (1.28), while her 1.44 mark vs. SEC-only opponents is also second.
- Auburn middle blockers Stevenson and Shaina White have progressively become an efficient part of the Tiger offense this year. White's .335 hitting clip on the season overall stands eighth among the Southeastern Conference.
- White holds a .423 hitting percentage in league-only matches, but she is not averaging three attempts per set to be ranked among the league. Stevenson has a .298 clip vs. the SEC.
- With 1,175 kills so far in her career, McIlroy needs just seven 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 10.01 assists/set average.
- Auburn's 2018 schedule boasts 10 2017 NCAA Tournament participants.
UP NEXT
Auburn finally returns to the comfort of Auburn Arena, hosting a pair of SEC matches next weekend. The Tigers first take on Ole Miss Friday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. CT. The squad followed with a 1:30 p.m. match against Arkansas, Oct. 28.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
- The Missouri Tigers are 16-4 on the year and 6-2 in the Southeastern Conference. The squad recently brought home a three-set win at Mississippi State.
- The Tigers are coached by Wayne Kreklow in his 19th season with the program.
- The Mizzou defense is among the best in the league, limiting their opponents to a .152 hitting clip on the year. The blockers rank first with a 2.94 blocks/set average, while the back row is averaging 14.15 digs per set.
- Senior middle blocker Alyssa Munlyn leads the conference with a 1.47 blocks/set average. Her 1.39 mark vs. SEC-only opponents is third.
- Sophomore middle blocker Tyanna Omazic is fourth vs. the conference with a 1.29 blocks/set mark. She averaging 1.08 stuffs overall on the year.
- Sophomore Kylie Deberg is one of the league's top servers, having 31 service aces on the season.
A WIN OVER MIZZOU WOULD...
- Be Auburn's first win over Missouri since the school joined the SEC.
- Be Auburn's second win in the series.
- Be Auburn's first win in Columbia.
AUBURN-MIZZOU SERIES
- Missouri is 9-1 against Auburn with the two teams meeting for the first time in 1996.
- The two Tiger teams did not face each other again until 2011 at a neutral site before Missouri joined the conference.
- AU and MU battled to a five sets in the team's last meeting last year.