AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn volleyball team caps the weekend at home, hosting rival Alabama in Auburn Arena. The Tigers and the Crimson Tide will go head-to-head at 1:30 p.m. CT and the contest will be streamed on SEC+.
"We faced Alabama a couple weeks ago in a great volleyball match," head coach Rick Nold said. "We're ready to even the score on the season with our rival and are looking forward to hosting them in Auburn Arena. It's going to be a great afternoon and we're excited to continue to get better as a team."
PROMOTIONS
It's our annual All Auburn, All Orange match! Come to Auburn Arena decked out in your best orange and get a free 'Beat Bama' t-shirt while supplies last. In addition, DJ Ben Bruud will be providing the music for the afternoon and there will be autographs with the team after the match. As always, Auburn volleyball matches are free.
QUICK HITS
- Auburn (8-7, 1-4) dropped another five-set heartbreaker (24-26, 25-15, 22-25, 25-21, 20-18), falling to a talented Georgia team in Auburn Arena Wednesday night
- Senior Brenna McIlroy led the team with 19 kills and freshman Mica Allison had a double-double with 46 assists and 13 digs.
The Tiger blockers continued to excel at the net, finishing with 12 stuffs on the night.
- Stevenson and Allison led all student-athletes with six. That total was a career high for Allison.
- The Auburn defense at the net have put up some strong numbers. The squad is averaging 2.05 blocks/set after putting up four-straight double-digit blocking performances.
- Stevenson is among the conference's best individual ranking second in overall block average (1.32), while her 1.61 mark vs. SEC-only opponents is the league's best.
- Auburn middle blockers Stevenson and Shaina White have progressively become an efficient part of the Tiger offense this year. White's .329 hitting clip on the season overall stands ninth among the Southeastern Conference, while Stevenson's .348 mark vs. SEC-only opponents is ranked eighth.
- White holds a .440 hitting percentage in league-only matches, but she is not averaging three attempts per set to be ranked.
- McIlroy picked up where she has left off the last three season, leading the Tigers offensively on the outside. The Garland, Texas, product has 3.22 kills/set average on the year with 187 over 58 sets played.
With 1,163 kills so far in her career, McIlroy needs just 31 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 9.98 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 returns to the road, traveling to Texas A&M and LSU next weekend. The Tigers and the Aggies will face off in College Station, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. CT. Auburn will then head to Baton Rouge for a Sunday afternoon tilt against the Bayou Bengals, starting at 1 p.m. CT.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
- The Alabama Crimson Tide stands at 13-5 on the season with a 1-4 mark in the Southeastern Conference. The Tide is coming off a four-set loss on the road, falling to Tennessee Wednesday night.
- Senior middle blocker Cidavia Hall is among the league's best with a .350 hitting percentage. She joins teammate and fellow middle blocker Hayley McSparin on the blocking list overall as both are ranked fifth with a 1.06 blocks/set mark.
- Senior defensive specialist Quincey Gary is second in the SEC with a 4.42 digs/set mark in all matches this season.
- Junior outside hitter Ginger Perinar is 10th in the conference, averaging 3.31 kills/set.
A WIN OVER ALABAMA WOULD...
- Be Auburn's third-straight win over Alabama in Auburn Arena.
- Give Auburn its ninth victory of the season.
AUBURN-ALABAMA SERIES
- Alabama leads the series with a 47-32 record, dating back to 1974.
- The storied series has been streaky for both teams throughout the years - the Tide went 15-3 in the 70s, Auburn was 16-4 in the 90s, Alabama was 12-2 in the early 00s.
