AUBURN, Ala. – Seeking its best start in program history, Auburn Volleyball takes its 8-0 record on the road to Jacksonville, Alabama for matchups against Southern Miss, Jackson State and Jacksonville State.
QUICK HITS
Akasha Anderson's aggressive attacks led the Tigers to its first five-set win of the season with 24 against UAB, averaging an impressive .393 attack percentage. The Reston, Virginia native collected 58 total kills in Auburn's four victories last week.
Kendal Kemp dominated the team's presence at the net with 22 total blocks across the team's four wins. Kemp ranks second in the Southeastern Conference in average blocks per set and first in total blocks.
Net presence, combined with sturdy defense has led Auburn to an opponent hitting percentage of .136, which ranks first in the Southeastern Conference and No. 12 in the country.
There are few teams in the country serving at the rate the Tigers are. With 2.38 aces per set, Auburn is the second-best team in the SEC and No. 7 in the country.
Head coach Brent Crouch has his team off to an 8-0 start, the best mark since 2012. One more victory would tie the 1990 squad for the best start in program history and two more wins would reset the record.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss starts their 2022 campaign with a 7-2 record, and with a 1-1 record on the road and 4-0 at neutral site games. Their first SEC matchup against Alabama resulted in a 3-1 loss.
It's a new era for the Golden Eagles. With both a new head coach and a new conference, Jenny Hazelwood embarks on USM's first venture into the Sun Belt after a storied run through Conference USA.
The offensive backbone of this Southern Miss team is sophomore outside hitter, Mia Wesley. Wesley leads her team in points with 207.5 and kills with 177, as well as in service aces with 22. She has made herself known in both the Sun Belt and nationally, ranking number one in the conference in attacks per set (fifth nationally), kills per set (second nationally), points (third nationally), points per set (second nationally), total attacks (eighth nationally) and total kills (fourth nationally).
Contributing to the offensive efforts, redshirt junior setter, Kenzie Smith leads her team and the Sun Belt Conference in assists per set, averaging 10.61, and total assists with 350.
As a team, Southern Miss ranks in the top five in the Sun Belt in nine separate categories. Notably, they rank number one in aces with 68.
AUBURN-SOUTHERN MISS SERIES
Auburn is 5-1 against the Golden Eagles, with wins coming in each of its four last matchups. Interestingly, four of the six meetings between the Tiger and Southern Miss have been on neutral ground and none have taken place in Hattiesburg.
SCOUTING JACKSON STATE
Jackson State is having a rough start to their season, currently holding a 1-7 record and looking to snap a six-game losing streak. Head coach Rose Washington is in the midst of her 21st season with the Lady Tigers, coming off a 17-14 season a year ago.
Alexis Williams, a sophomore outside hitter, leads the offensive efforts for Jackson State and is currently the only player for the team ranked highly in any category in the SWAC. Williams leads her team in points with 59.5 and points per set with an average of 3.97. She leads both her team and the conference in aces per set at 0.56.
As a team, Jackson State leads the SWAC conference in aces per set with an average of 1.55, a hitting percentage of .171, and in kills per set with an 11.93 average.
AUBURN-JACKSON STATE SERIES
The Tigers will be looking to take the series lead versus Jackson State. JSU and Auburn have met just twice with each institution earning a victory. The Orange and Blue took the most recent matchup, sweeping Jackson State last year in Auburn.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
Like Auburn, Jacksonville State enters the weekend with a perfect record. In five years at the helm of the Gamecock program, head coach Todd Garvey is yet to post a losing season and posted a career-best 25 wins in 2021, narrowly missing out on a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Senior outside hitter Kylee Quigley leads Jacksonville State and the ASUN Conference in service aces with 20 and aces per set with an average of .67.
Fifth-year outside hitter Lena Kinderman and graduate student setter Claire Ochs are also huge contributors to the offense. Kinderman averages 4.03 points per set with a team-high 141 total points, as well as an average of 3.74 kills per set and 131 kills in total. Ochs leads her team and is second in the ASUN for both assists per set with an average of 10.65 and total assists with 362 on the season.
In the ASUN Conference, Jacksonville State is number one in four separate categories. This includes assists per set (12.4), hitting percentage (.278), kills per set (13.7) and team kills (481).
AUBURN-JACKSONVILLE STATE SERIES
Auburn and Jacksonville State met in three consecutive years from 2012-14, with the Tigers sweeping all three matches. However, the two programs haven't met since that 2014 affair.
UP NEXT
It's time for the Tigers to dive into the Southeastern Conference and what better way to begin than a trip to rival Alabama. Auburn and the Tide will go toe-to-toe in back-to-back affairs on September 24 and 25.
Volleyball rounds out non-conference slate at Jacksonville State Invite
