AUBURN, Ala. – Looking to continue momentum following an historic program victory at Texas A&M, Auburn volleyball (13-10, 5-8 SEC) return to Auburn Arena Wednesday evening to host South Carolina (13-11, 5-9 SEC) in the program's annual Military Appreciation Match.
First serve is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT. Wednesday's match will be nationally televised on the SEC Network with Eric Frede and Jennifer Hoffman on the call. Fans can also hear Friday's match locally on WEGL 91.1.
"South Carolina is a talented team," said head coach Brent Crouch. "They're dangerous. They run a 6-2, which means they have three hitters in the front row in every single rotation. They just beat Kentucky, splitting the series. They are a tournament team, but I think that they have some areas that we can exploit."
Fans can show valid military IDs at the marketing table in the Scholarship Entrance of Auburn Arena to receive an Auburn University-theme commemorative Military Appreciation Day coin. American flags and military appreciation pins and stickers will also be available. The Tigers will also honor Auburn student veterans in a pregame recognition.
QUICK HITS
- With the final home midweek match on deck, Auburn welcomes South Carolina in a nationally televised showdown. The Tigers are searching for their first victory over the Gamecocks since 2017 and their first home victory in the series since 2016.
- Defense has been the name of the game for the Tigers this season. Auburn enters Wednesday's match ranked second in the SEC in digs per set (16.52) and blocks (2.63). Auburn has held opponents to a .149 hitting percentage - the lowest in the league and the 11th lowest in the country.
- After totaling over 40 kills in Auburn's two-match series at Texas A&M, 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 sixth in school history with a 0.91 blocks per set average this season.
- With five matches remaining in the regular season, Rebekah Rath is just 27 kills shy of breaking Jessica Glover's single season record of 410. The record has stood since 2008.
- 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.
- The Tigers are coming off a historic program victory as Auburn knocked off Texas A&M for the first time in College Station. The victory also snapped a nine-match losing skid to the Aggies.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
After delivering No. 7 Kentucky its first loss in SEC play with a two-match split with the Wildcats, South Carolina enters Wednesday's match with a 13-11 overall record and a 5-9 mark in SEC play. The Gamecocks are receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll after the victory. South Carolina boasts the 25th toughest schedule in the country and have picked up victories over then ranked No. 18 Washington State and No. 23 Rice earlier this season. In league action, the Gamecocks have added victories over Georgia, Missouri and Alabama.
As an offense, South Carolina is ranked middle of the pack in almost every offensive category. The Gamecocks rank fifth in the league with a .253 hitting percentage and in total kills (1,123). South Carolina's 12.76 kills per set mark ranks ninth in the SEC. Graduate student and outside hitter Kyla Manning leads the team with a 3.40 kills per set average, which ranks 12th in the SEC. Manning has totaled 296 kills the season and the leads the team with 341.5 points to rank ninth in the league with a 3.93 points per set average. Sophomore outside hitter Riley Whitesides is second on the squad in kills with 208 total and averages 2.39 per set. Mikayla Robinson ranks fifth in the league with a blistering .358 hitting percentage this season.
South Carolina utilizes a pair of setters to run its offense. Graduate student Mallory Dixon has started 19 of the 22 matches she has appeared this season. She has dished out 423 assists to average 5.42 per set. Freshman Clair Wilson has appeared in 24 matches and has started four for South Carolina. She leads the team with 473 assists for a 5.38 per set average. Wilson is the more offensive threat of the two as she has totaled 40 kills this season. Dixon has taken 25 swings with 16 landing for kills. She holds a .600 hitting percentage.
Tough at the service line, five Gamecocks have recorded double-digit aces this season. Freshman outside hitter Lauren McCutcheon leads the charge at the line with 26 to average 0.30 per set. Manning has totaled 20 aces this season.
Defense has been the weakness for South Carolina as they rank last in the league with an 11.84 digs per set mark. The Gamecocks do have five student-athletes with at least 100 digs this season and are led by freshman libero Morgan Carter. Carter has racked up 261 kills this season to average 3.35 per set. McCutcheon has totaled 192 digs this season to rank second on the squad.
At the net, the Gamecocks are sixth in the league with 199.0 total blocks this season while their 2.26 blocks per set average is good for eighth in the conference. Sophomore middle blocker Ellie Ruprich leads the team with 92.0 blocks, ranking 10th in the league with a 1.06 per set average. Robinson stands 16th with a 0.95 average, totaling 74 total blocks this season.
UP NEXT
The Tigers hit the road for a top-25 test as Auburn treks to No. 22 Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 17. First serve on the SEC Network is slated for 6 p.m. CT.