AUBURN, Ala. – Ending the regular-season with a gauntlet of matches against the top three teams in the league standings, Auburn volleyball (13-11, 5-9 SEC) begins its final test with a road trip at No. 20 Florida (17-6, 11-2 SEC) on Wednesday.
Wednesday's first serve is set for 6 p.m. CT. Fans can stream the match on SEC Network+. Tom Collett and Missy Whittemore will be on the call.
QUICK HITS
- With November winding down, Auburn faces a tough test as its final four matches of the season coming against the top three teams in the SEC standings. The Tigers begin the gauntlet on the road with a single match at #20 Florida. Auburn is searching for its first win over the Gators since 2015. The Tigers have never beaten Florida in Gainesville.
- Defense has been the name of the game for the Tigers this season. Auburn enters Wednesday's match leading the SEC in digs per set (16.42) while ranking fourth in blocking (2.59 blocks/s). The Tigers have held opponents to a .153 hitting percentage - the lowest in the SEC and the 13th lowest mark in the country.
- Coming off her 20th double-digit kill performance of the season, junior Rebekah Rath continues her stranglehold as the top offensive player in the SEC as she currently leads the league in six offensive categories, including: attacks per set, kills per set, points, points per set, total attacks and total kills.
- The block party continues to roll as the season winds down as senior Tatum Shipes enters Wednesday's match with the single season record for blocks per set at 1.48. Senior Elif Yavuz is also racking up the blocks as she ranks ninth in school history with a 0.88 blocks per set average this season.
- With four matches remaining in the regular season, Rebekah Rath is just 17 kills shy of breaking Jessica Glover's single season record of 410. The record has stood since 2008.
- Senior Tatum Shipes shattered another single season blocking record as she recorded her 110th block assist against South Carolina (11/10). She also holds season records in total blocks and blocks per set.
- With 13 wins under its belt, Auburn has recorded the most victories in a season since the 2017 squad closed the year with a 15-12 overall record.
SCOUTING FLORIDA
Entering Wednesday's match on a six-match win streak, Florida stands third in the SEC standings with an 11-2 league record while its overall record stands at 17-6. Its two league losses this season have come at the hands of LSU and Mississippi State. Facing a tough schedule, the Gators have picked up victories over No. 10 Minnesota and No. 22 Tennessee.
One of the top offenses in the country, Florida ranks second in the SEC and eighth nationally with a .291 hitting percentage. The Gators rank third in the conference as they average 14.00 kills per set. Redshirt senior and outside hitter T'ara Ceasar leads Florida and ranks third in the SEC with a 3.91 kills per set average. Ceasar ranks third in the conference in points per set (4.60) and total points (377.0). She has totaled 321 kills this season.
Outside hitter Thayer Hall is Florida's other offensive threat with a 2.62 kills per set average for her senior season. Middle block Lauren Forte is the most efficient hitter on the squad as the redshirt senior holds a .421 attacking percentage - the 12th highest in the country.
Senior Marlie Monserez runs the offense for the Gators. The setter has dished out 909 assists this season, the fifth most in the SEC. She ranks second in the SEC and 12th nationally with an 11.09 assists per set average. Offensively, she has added 69 kills and 18 service aces this season.
The Gators rank fourth in the SEC with a 1.41 service aces per set average as five Gators has recorded double-digit aces this season. Ceasar leads the charge with 32 as she averages 0.39 per set - the fourth most in the SEC. Sophomore libero Elli McKissock is also a threat at the service line with 24 total aces for a 0.29 per set average.
On the defensive side of the ball, Florida ranks fifth in the league as it averages 14.80 digs per set. Three Gators have totaled over 200 digs this season with McKissock leading the trio with 350. She ranks third in the SEC with a 4.27 digs per set mark. The Gators are strong at the net across the board with senior middle blockers Lauren Dooley and Forte leading the squad. Both middles rank in the top 10 in the SEC in blocks per set with Dooley standing at sixth with a 1.13 mark.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to Auburn Arena for their final home matches of the regular season as Auburn hosts No. 8 Kentucky for a pair of matches. The series begins Saturday at 4:30 p.m. CT. Sunday's finale is slated for 1 p.m. CT. Both matches will air on the SEC Network+. Auburn will honor its 2021 senior class in a special pre-match ceremony on Saturday.