AUBURN, Ala. – For the first time in 2023, Brent Crouch and the Auburn Volleyball squad hit the road. The Tigers travel south to Tallahassee for matchups with both SMU and Florida State.
Auburn faces the Mustangs on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Noon CT. A day later, the Tigers will take on Florida State on Sept. 3 at Noon CT. The match with the Seminoles will be streamed live on ACC Network Plus.
Auburn's offense has been red-hot to begin 2023. The Tigers have hit north of .300 in each of its first three matches, marking the first time in the Brent Crouch era the team has done so.
Crouch's squad has also started the season 3-0 once again with wins over Coppin State, McNeese and Jacksonville State. It's the third straight season Crouch has aided his team to a 3-0 start to a campaign.
The Auburn defense was just a stout during the War Eagle Invitational. Holding both Coppin State and McNeese below .100 hitting, the Tigers equaled the number of times they accomplished the feat during the whole 2022 campaign.
Blocking queen Kendal Kemp has picked up where she left off from her record-setting 2022 season. The Eagan, Minnesota native stacked up 1.50 blocks per set across her three matches over the weekend.
Transfer Bella Bell has found her rhythm on the right side. In her Auburn debut, Bell recorded a career-best 14 kills on an astounding .480 hitting. After three games in the Orange and Blue, the Blythewood, S.C. product is hitting .492, which ranks second in the SEC and 24th in the Nation.
SCOUTING SMU
Sam Erger leads the Mustangs in her second season after being named head coach of the women's volleyball team last year. In her first campaign, the team finished with a record of 22-10 overall and third overall in league play. Erger also helped Marieke van der Mark and Jamison Wheeler earn first-team All-AAC honors.
This year, the Mustangs were projected to win the AAC in the preseason Coaches Poll. Top returner Jamison Wheeler was chosen as the AAC Preseason Player of the Year along with two other of her teammates, Emma Clothier and Celia Cullen, named Preseason All-Conference Selections.
The Wheeler alone had 385 kills, 1,051 attacks, 48 aces and 38 blocks. Last year, she broke single-season records for the second straight year.
SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE
Chris Poole is in his 16th season coaching the Seminoles and eyes the continued success of the historic program. Despite an injury-plagued 2022 season, the Seminoles were able to finish 19-11 overall and 11-7 in the ACC.
The Seminoles battled it out to begin their season playing in the Classic City Clash in Athens, Georgia. Facing Western Carolina, Georgia, and UConn, the Seminoles swept all three of its opponents.
Last Weekend, Audry Rothman led the team with a total of 24 kills. In the 2022 season, she was awarded ACC All-Freshman Team, finishing overall with 149 kills, and ACC Freshman of the Week honors.
AUBURN-SMU SERIES
The Tigers will face SMU for the first time since 2012 when Auburn swept the Mustangs, 3-0. The two programs have met four times (1996, 2002 and 2006) with an even record of 2-2.
AUBURN-FLORIDA STATE SERIES
Auburn meets FSU in Tallahassee for the first time since 2017 when the Tigers dropped a heart-breaking five-set affair. However, the last time these two schools met, it was the Tigers who emerged victorious in four sets in 2018. The historic series dates back to 1974 with FSU owning an all-time record 13-2-1.
Tigers head south for date with SMU and Florida State at Seminole Invite
