AUBURN, Ala. – Following a split with then-No. 19 Minnesota and Long Island, Auburn Volleyball (7-1,0-0) and head coach Brent Crouch travel north to Birmingham for the second edition of the Alabama Showdown, Sept. 19-21, at Bartow Arena.
Last season in Mobile, the Tigers swept through UAB, Samford and South Alabama to bring the title belt back to the Plains. Auburn kicks off the last weekend of non-conference action on Thursday, Sept.19 against Samford before facing host UAB on Sept. 20 and South Alabama on Sept. 21.
QUICK HITS
There is no team in the SEC better at running down digs than the Auburn Tigers, literally. Through eight matches, Auburn's 19.46 digs per set rank first in the conference and No. 2 nationally, behind only Western Illinois.
Junior Alexis Dacosta (4.32 d/s) and freshman Lauren Dreves (4.15 d/s) have led the charge in the back row. Both rank inside the top 10 in digs per set amongst the SEC and in the top 100 in the country.
Auburn's blocking unit continues to pay dividends early in 2024. At 2.90 blocks per set, the Tigers rank No. 3 in the Southeastern Conference and No. 24 in the country.
The block has been led by veteran Chelsey McCurdy and freshman Emma Moore. Moore moved up to No. 3 in the SEC and No. 24 in the nation with 1.42 blocks per set. McCurdy’s 1.23 blocks per set rank
Auburn continues to showcase its offensive capabilities. Amongst the SEC, the Tigers rank third with 14.01 kills per set and sit at No. 15 in all of Division I volleyball.
LAST TIME OUT
Wrapping up their first road trip, the Tigers returned to the plains after splitting the weekend. Despite dropping its first match of the season to No. 19 Minnesota, 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-16) the Orange and Blue rebounded with a dominant performance over Long Island, 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 32-30).
Over the weekend, junior libero Alexis Dacosta's eight digs against Minnesota secured 500 for her career. Meanwhile, Freshman Lauren Dreves and Peyton Dunn both picked up double-doubles versus LIU. Dunn now has a team-leading three on the season. Back in her home state, Paige Thibault's 16 digs against the Sharks were a season-high for the senior.
SCOUTING SAMFORD
Keylor Chan starts his eighth with the Samford volleyball program. Chan has led the Bulldogs to five Southern Conference tournament titles, two SoCon regular season championships, and five NCAA tournament appearances. This season, the Bulldogs were picked second in the SoCon Preseason Poll.
Samford is off to a 5-2 start on the season, dropping its first two contests to fellow SEC foe LSU and a ranked Baylor squad last weekend. The Bulldogs already own one SEC win, grabbing a five-set victory over Mississippi State on opening day.
Outside hitters, Gracie Lynn Butler and Kaleigh Meritt were picked as the preseason All-SoCon team. Merritt leads the Bulldogs in hitting percentage (.329), kills per set (3.78) and points per set (4.20).
SCOUTING UAB
UAB and head coach Betsy Freeburg are off to a 5-3 start to 2024. The Blazers sport early victories over Cincinnati and both Jacksonville State and North Alabama.
Marietta, Georgia native Madison Page has been a force in the middle early and often for Freeburg. Page is averaging 1.14 blocks per set, second among the rest of the American Athletic Conference. As a team, the Blazers are averaging a stout 2.28 blocks per set.
Senior setter and opposite Kelsey Smith is one of just eight players in the country to secure a triple-double in 2024. With 12 kills, 28 assists and 12 digs against Jacksonville State, Smith helped UAB to a five-set win over the Gamecocks.
SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
Last season, South Alabama was one of three schools from the Sun Belt to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, a new conference record. Head coach Jesse Ortiz has his team picked to finish third in the west this season after losing nearly 75 percent of its offensive production from a season ago. Ortiz and Co. welcome 11 additions to the 2024 roster.
In the early parts of the season, South has leaned on the play of Northwestern transfer Abryanna Cannon. Cannon leads the Jaguars with 3.14 kills per set.
AUBURN-SAMFORD SERIES
In a matchup that dates back to 1990, Auburn leads the Bulldogs 5-1 across the six meetings between the two programs. The Tigers have won each of the last two contests, including last season's 3-1 effort at the Alabama Showdown in Mobile.
AUBURN-UAB SERIES
Certainly no strangers, the Tigers and Blazers have met 36 times since 1978. Auburn owns a 26-8 record over UAB, including an 11-3 mark in Birmingham. The Orange and Blue have won 13 consecutive matches, including a four-set affair at last year's Alabama Showdown in Mobile.
AUBURN-SOUTH ALABAMA SERIES
Similarly, Auburn carries a 21-8 record against South Alabama into the 2024 Alabama Showdown. Last year's five-set win in Mobile made it eight straight matches over the Jaguars. The Tigers are 8-2 over USA on neutral floors.