AUBURN, Ala. – After knocking off No. 15 Florida State inside Neville Arena on Sunday, Auburn Volleyball faces its first road test of the season at No. 19 Minnesota on Friday as part of the Diet Coke Classic (Sept. 13-14) in Minneapolis.
The Tigers will go toe-to-toe with the Golden Gophers on Friday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. CT and will round out the trip with Long Island on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 11:30 a.m. CT. Both matches will be streamed live on the Big Ten Network plus.
QUICK HITS
One of the most notable improvements from last season has been the play of the Tigers' defense. Allowing a hitting percentage of just .138 through its first six matches, Auburn ranks second in the SEC and 24th in the country.
Junior libero Alexis Dacosta has been the main catalyst in the back row for head coach Brent Crouch and the Tigers. Dacosta's 5.00 digs per set is the second-best mark in the conference and No. 19 in the nation. As a team, Auburn leads the SEC at 18.85 digs per set, a mark that stands as No. 5 in the country.
In the front row, Chelsey McCurdy and Emma Moore have been busy stacking up rejections in the early part of 2024. McCurdy paces Auburn and the SEC with 1.40 blocks per set with Moore close behind at 1.35. The Tigers' 3.08 blocks per set also leads the Southeastern Conference and is currently the 13th-best mark in the country.
Auburn's passers have been equally as brilliant early this season. The Tigers are allowing just 0.45 aces per set, the best average in the SEC.
A hitting percentage of .200 or better was the magic number for the Tigers in 2023. Auburn is now 21-3 over the last two seasons when its offense manages .200 or better. Defensively, when holding opponents to .200 or worse, Auburn is 20-2 over the same time frame.
Right side combo Bel Zimmerman and Bella Bell. Together the two have combined for 121 kills across the first four matches of the season on .281 hitting.
A staple under the leadership of Crouch, Auburn's blocking unit continues to put up big numbers. At 3.08 blocks per set and 61.5 total blocks, the Tigers are setting the pace in the SEC.
LAST TIME OUT
Auburn combined for a season-high 17 blocks in an effort to hold then-No. 15 Florida State to just .124 hitting on Sunday to knock off the Seminoles, 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-20) for the Tigers' first top 25 victory inside Neville Arena since beating No. 11 Florida in 2015.
Crouch's freshman group shined as Lauren Dreves (11 kills, 17 digs) snagged her first double-double while Emma Moore paced Auburn with eight blocks. Kalei Edson collected 23 assists and nine digs.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Head coach Keegan Cook begins his second season in Minneapolis as the leader of the Golden Gopher Volleyball program. Cook returns a talented roster that includes preseason All-Big Ten honoree Melani Shaffmaster. Shaffmaster led the Big Ten setting group in kills per set, digs and double-doubles (19) a season ago. She's already posted a triple-double this fall, totaling 10 kills 21 digs and 47 assists against TCU. Minnesota was picked to finish fifth in the conference behind Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue.
Despite its 2-3 record, Minnesota has already taken down then-No. 1 Texas and its three losses have come by three ranked opponents (Stanford, Baylor and TCU).
Through four matches, the Golden Gophers lead the Big Ten in digs per set (16.40) behind the play for Zeynep Palabiyik (4.35). Offensive, Minnesota boasts three attackers averaging north of 2.00 kills per set in Julia Hanson (3.60), McKenna Wucherer (2.61) and Lydia Grote (2.05).
SCOUTING LIU
In his first season at the helm of the LIU volleyball program, Amable Martinez led the Sharks to a 13-19 record but knocked off Sacred Heart and Farleigh Dickinson in the NEC tournament to advance to the NCAA Championship. This season, Martinez is off to a 1-5 start but has faced tough Power Four opponents in SEC foe Tennessee and the Big Ten's UCLA.
Led by middle blocker Bria Plante and right side Celene Mukura, the Sharks are leading the northeastern conference in blocks per set in the early parts of 2024 (2.23). Plante is pacing the Sharks with 1.08 per set while Mukura averages an even 1.00. Plante also leads the team in hitting percentage (.360).
In the back row, it's been Alasha Colon raking up all the digs. At 4.33 per set and 104 total digs, Colon leads the NEC and is top 50 in the country in both categories.
AUBURN-MINNESOTA SERIES
The Tigers and Golden Gophers first went head-to-head in 1990, a year that saw Auburn grab a dramatic five-set win. The Orange and Blue would repeat the feat once again in 1998. However, the two programs have only met once in the rally-scoring era when Minnesota defended home court in 2009, 3-0.