AUBURN, Ala. – Following the cancellation of the Southeastern Showdown due to impact of Hurricane Ida on the Hammond, La., community, Auburn volleyball (2-0) stepped to the plate to shift gears and host Cal State Fullerton (1-1) and Southeastern Louisiana (0-2) at Auburn Arena for an impromptu tournament.
"The eye of the hurricane went right over Hammond," said head coach Brent Crouch. "We were on the phone with the coaches the next morning. We were happy to hear that everyone was safe and healthy. When they got to campus to check out the damage, their gym was under three feet of water.
It was great that the other coaches and teams were able to adjust quickly as this all came together in about six hours. The Auburn administration and staff just stepped up to the plate. It's a testament to how cooperative and how hard that group was willing to work to get this done."
The Tigers take the court on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT against Cal State Fullerton.
The lone neutral site contest of the weekend will feature the Titans and Southeastern Louisiana Friday at 11:30 a.m. CT. Auburn rounds out the action against the Lady Lions Friday night at 7:30 p.m. CT.
"I've seen Fullerton quite a bit," Crouch said. "I'm very familiar with that conference and the team that they have. They are skilled volleyball players and are coming off a win over Fordham. Southeastern Louisiana took a set from Mississippi State and dropped 18 points on them. They hit a pretty good efficiency against them. Each week the opponents are going to get a little stiffer and should be some great matches.
Southern University, originally scheduled to compete in the Southeastern Showdown, will not make the trek to Auburn Arena.
Due to conflicts with other athletic events on campus, neither of Auburn matches will be streamed on the SEC Network. Radio coverage for Friday's match against the Lady Lions will be determined.
HAMMOND RELIEF EFFORT
Fans interested in contributing to relief efforts for the Hammond community can donate to Our Daily Bread Food Bank of Tangipahoa Parish or through Southeastern.edu/givenow to give direct donations and support to Southeastern University and its students.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, Sept. 2
Auburn vs. Cal State Fullerton – 7 p.m. CT
Friday, Sept. 2
Cal State Fullerton vs. Southeastern Louisiana – 11:30 a.m. CT
Auburn vs. Southeastern Louisiana – 7:30 p.m. CT
QUICK HITS
· Picking up back-to-back sweeps to claim the War Eagle Invitational title, Auburn volleyball is off to its first 2-0 start since the 2015 season. The 2015 Tiger squad began their season with four straight wins before dropping a five-set thriller to Syracuse.
· Leading the Southeastern Conference in blocks per set, Auburn's 3.83 blocks/set average is good for fourth in the country. Auburn's 14 blocks against Jackson State were one shy of tying its three-set match blocking record.
· Ranked second in the conference with a 5.17 digs/set average, Bella Rosenthall is off to a great start to her senior campaign. She is looking to become just the 15th Tiger in program history to record 1,000 career digs. Rosenthall would be the first to do so since Brenna McIlroy (2015-2018). Rosenthall enters the weekend with 747 career digs.
· Making a statement in her debut as a Tiger, Rebekah Rath led the Tiger offense over opening weekend with back-to-back double-digit kill efforts. Rath leds the SEC and ranks 12th nationally with a 4.83 kills/set average.
· Auburn closed its opening weekend with a blistering .457 attack percentage against Jackson State. The mark was the highest for the Tigers since attacking at a .485 clip versus Eastern Illinois on Sept. 1, 2018.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
Cal State Fullerton bring a 1-1 record to the Plains after splitting matches at the Titan Classic over opening weekend. Fullerton was swept by New Mexico in its season opener before bouncing back for a 3-1 win against Fordham.
Julia Crawford leads the Titans with a 5.25 kills per set average. She is the only Titan to record 20+ kills over opening weekend as she leads the team with 21. Crawford is strong at the service line with three aces to her credit. Defensively, she leads the team with 17 digs (4.25 digs/set).
Elizabeth Schuster handles setting duties for the Titans and has dished out 51 helpers this season to average 12.75 pet set. Schuster has 10 digs and a pair of blocks to her credit.
Southeastern Louisiana dropped a pair of matches to open its season, falling to Gonzaga, 2-3, and Mississippi State, 1-3, in the StarkVegas Classic hosted by the Bulldogs.
As a squad, the Lady Lions closed the first weekend of play with a .176 attack percentage as a team. Addie Vidrine and Cicily Hidalgo was the heart of the Lady Lions offense as Vidrine led the squad with a 2.14 kills/set average while hitting .325. Hidalgo totaled a team-leading 19 kills.
Expect Gracie Duplechein and Ariana Hebert to split time at setter. The pair recorded 36 and 29 assists, respectively, over opening weekend.
Defensively, India Bennett led the Lady Lions with 10 total blocks averaging 1.43 per set. Ansley Tullis totaled 34 digs for SLU, averaging 3.78 per set. Hidalgo chipped in 22 digs over opening weekend.
The Lady Lions are strong at the service line with nine total aces to average one per set.
ATTENDANCE AND FAN POLICIES
Arena doors will open one hour prior to each match. For this weekend's tournament, the Arena will be cleared of fans following Saturday's neutral match set for 11:30 a.m. CT.
All fans and students will enter Auburn Arena at the Scholarship Entrance. Sections A-N will be open for seating on a first-come, first-serve basis. Seats directly behind the team benches will be marked and unavailable for fans to provide a buffer for competing student-athletes and coaches.
Auburn University currently requires all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings inside all Auburn University buildings, which includes Auburn Arena.
Fans will be able to use the restrooms and concessions in the Aubie Chow area accessed via the Northwest tunnel. The Team Shop will be set up by Aubie Chow for fans attending the matches. The main Team Shop location located by the North Main Entrance will be open during regular business hours and will only be accessible from the exterior of Auburn Arena.
All transactions for concessions and merchandise locations at Auburn Arena will be contactless and cashless (credit/debit and Tiger Cards only).
For the full list of attendance and safety protocols CLICK HERE.
UP NEXT
Auburn continues its home stand with a pair of midweek matches. The Tigers will host New Orleans on Wednesday before welcoming North Alabama to Auburn Arena on Thursday. Both matches are set for 6 p.m. CT starts and will be streamed via SEC Network+.