AUBURN, Ala. – Ending the season with its toughest stretch, Auburn volleyball (13-12, 5-10 SEC) continues its gauntlet of matches as the Tigers conclude their home slate at Auburn Arena with a two-match series against the current SEC standings leader and the reigning national champion No. 8 Kentucky over the weekend.
"Going into this gauntlet over the last 10 days, I told the team that we need to be clear about who we are as a team," said head coach Brent Crouch. "We are a team that thrives by being scrappy, playing defense, getting touches at the net and taking smart shots on offense. We have to make the other team earn everything and force them to get frustrated. Teams when in all sorts of ways, and this is how we win. We need to lean into our identity."
The series begins on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. CT. Saturday's match is designated as Senior Day as Auburn will honor its 2021 senior class of Val Green, Liz Reich, Bella Rosenthall, Tatum Shipes and Elif Yavuz in a special pre-match ceremony. Both squads will return to the court on Sunday for a 1 p.m. CT match.
"Our seniors came here four years ago," Crouch added. "They battled through some lean seasons and then COVID hit. To see these seniors grind through and see what they have accomplished this fall is touching to say the least. Every few years you get a team that comes together, regardless of wins or losses, and it is just special. This is one of those teams."
Both contests will be available on SEC Network+. Kele Eveland and Graham Doty will have the call Saturday afternoon. Eveland will be joined by Wiley Ballard on Sunday. Fans can also hear the matches locally on WEGL 91.1.
QUICK HITS
- As November winds 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 gauntlet continues this weekend with a pair of matches against the reigning national champion #8 Kentucky. Auburn is searching for its first win over the Wildcats since 2010.
- Auburn's 13 wins this season are the most victories in a season since the 2017 squad closed the year with a 15-12 overall record.
- With three matches remaining, Rebekah Rath is just seven kills shy of breaking Jessica Glover's single season record of 410. The record has stood since 2008.
- Senior Tatum Shipes has turned in one of the best blocking performances in two decades as her 133 total blocks this season is the most by any Tiger since 2000. The mark is the program's single season record in the rally-scoring era.
- Defense has been the name of the game for the Tigers this season. Auburn enters the weekend second in the SEC in digs per set (16.21) and fourth in blocking (2.55 blocks/s). The Tigers have held opponents to a .157 hitting percentage - the lowest in the SEC and the 18th lowest mark in the country.
- Coming off her 21st 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.
SCOUTING KENTUCKY
Entering the weekend on top of the SEC standings, Kentucky is 13-1 in SEC play this season. It's lone loss came at the hands of South Carolina as the Gamecocks took a five-set victory on Nov. 4. The reigning national champions hold a 20-4 overall record this season and were ranked seventh in the latest NCAA RPI report.
The Wildcats boasts one of the most efficient offenses in the country as Kentucky ranks sixth nationally with a .294 hitting percentage. The Wildcats rank second in the SEC and 13th in the country with a 14.09 kills per set mark. The bulk of Kentucky's offense is evenly spread between sophomore Madi Skinner and senior Alli Stumler. Skinner ranks fifth in the SEC in both kills per set (3.79) and points per set (4.21). Stumler holds steady at seventh in the SEC in points per set (4.03) while ranking eighth in the league in kills per set (3.53).
Freshman Emma Grome serves as the starting setter for the Wildcats, turning in an impressive debut season. Grome has dished out 989 assists and ranks sixth in the country with a 11.37 per set average. Offensively, Grome has added 28 kills and is also a threat at the service line.
One of the top serving teams in the league, Kentucky is second with a 1.43 aces per set mark with seven Wildcats recording at least 10 service aces this season. Stumler leads the charge with 22 to her credit as she averages 0.25 aces per set.
Flipping to the defensive side of the net, Kentucky averages 13.87 digs per set this season with six Wildcats with over 100 digs to their credit. Freshman libero Eleanor Beavin is the digs leader for Kentucky. She's totaled 299 digs this season to average 3.44 per set. Stumler is second on the squad with a 2.29 digs per set mark.
A strong blocking threat, the Wildcats are sixth in the league with a 2.42 per set average. Junior middle blocker Azhani Tealer ranks third in the SEC with a 1.25 blocks per set average while her total blocks number of 109 is sixth in the conference. Tealer is also an offensive threat as she ranks fifth nationally with a .444 hitting percentage. Tealer is 25th in the league as she averages 2.63 kills per set.
UP NEXT
Auburn closes the regular season on Friday, Nov. 26 at Mississippi State. First serve on the SEC Network+ is set for 4 p.m. CT.