AUBURN, Ala. – The final weekend of non-conference play has arrived for Auburn Volleyball. Head coach Brent Crouch and Co. take on South Alabama, UAB and Samford Sept. 14-16 in Mobile at the Alabama Showdown.
After a 2-1 weekend at the Tiger Invitational, Auburn moved up to No. 24 in the AVCA/Taraflex Coaches Poll. Following last week's first appearance in the top-25 in program history, the new ranking is now the highest in program history.
The Tiger offense continues to stay red hot. Boasting a .308 hitting percentage through the first eight matches of the season, Auburn ranks second in the Southeastern Conference and No. 9 in the nation.
Bel Zimmerman re-announced herself to the collegiate volleyball world against Charleston Southern. Her 17 kills and 16 digs were both career-bests and gave the Liberty, Missouri product her fist-career double-double.
Sophomore Akasha Anderson is barreling toward 500 career kills. The Herndon, Va. product has 495 through just 36 matches in the Orange and Blue.
Eureka, Missouri native Madison Scheer is also barreling toward her 500th kill. The sophomore sits at 452 entering the weekend.
After setting records in 2022, sophomore middle blocker Kendal Kemp is back to her old tricks this season. In eight matches this season, the Eagan Minnesota native is averaging 1.37 blocks per set. The mark is fourth in the SEC and No. 33 in the nation.
Kemp also posted a career-high 13 kills on a season-high .526 hitting percentage in the Tigers' win over Charleston Southern.
SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
In his third year at the helm of the South Alabama program, head coach Jesse Ortiz certainly has the Jaguars trending in the right direction. Last season, Ortiz led South Alabama to its first conference title and picked up Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors in the process.
Kailey Keeble and Niki Capizzi each picked up preseason conference honors and for good reason. Keeble is averaging 11.12 assists per set, ranking No. 1 in the Sub Belt and No. 14 in the nation. Capizzi along with fellow outside hitter Hannah Maddux have the Jaguars hitting .252 on the season. Maddux's 3.97 kills per set leads the team and ranks fourth in the conference.
As a team, South Alabama's defense rarely lets the ball hit the floor. At 16.22 digs per set, the Jaguars rank third in the Sun Belt and No. 30 in the country.
SCOUTING UAB
It's a new era in Birmingham as the Blazers enter 2023 as members of the American Athletic Conference.
UAB and fourth-year head coach Betsy Freeburg arrive in Mobile with a 2-7 record with wins over Florida A&M and SIU-Edwardsville.
Junior libero leads the team with an impressive 4.97 digs per set, ranking third in the AAC and No. 26 in the country.
Offensively, the Blazers are led by freshman outside hitter Mia Reese. Reese has piled up 120 so far this season, averaging 3.33 kills per set.
SCOUTING SAMFORD
Keylor Chan eyes to continue his success at Samford. In seven seasons, Chan has led Samford to two SoCon regular season championships and five tournament titles.
The Bulldogs enter the weekend as one of the better serving teams in the nation. At 1.97 aces per set, Samford ranks third in their conference and No. 49 in the country.
Preseason all-conference selection Grace Lynn Butler has been dynamite for the Bulldogs. Butler leads the team in kills per set at 4.62 which is good enough for a top-10 mark in the country.
AUBURN-SOUTH ALABAMA SERIES
Auburn has won seven straight over South Alabama but the two programs haven't met since 2017 and have only faced each other twice in the 25-point rally-scoring era. The last time the Tigers were in Mobile, Auburn swept the Jaguars. Overall, the Orange and Blue own a 20-8 record against South Alabama.
AUBURN-UAB SERIES
Last season, Auburn survived an epic five-set match against the Blazers in Birmingham. The victory marked the 12th win in a row over UAB for the Tigers in a series that dates back to 1978.
AUBURN-SAMFORD SERIES
Samford and Auburn have only met five times in program history, and the two in-state foes haven't gone toe-to-toe since 2015. The Tigers hold a 4-1 all-time record over the Bulldogs and Auburn won the only neutral match-up, 3-1, back in 2006.
No. 24 Tigers head to Mobile for Alabama Showdown
