AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn (5-0, 0-0) will play its third match in a six-day stretch as the Tigers welcome Florida State (3-0, 0-0) into Neville Arena on Sunday.
First serve is set for Noon CT and admission is free. For those unable to make it to the Plains on Sunday, the match will be streamed live on SEC Network plus. Wiley Ballard and Paige Wetzel will have the call.
QUICK HITS
Auburn is off to a 5-0 start to the 2024 campaign. The Tigers have done so in each of the past four seasons under head coach Brent Crouch.
For the second time this season, the Orange and Blue offense managed a hitting percentage north of .300 in the sweep over Cal Poly. Crouch is now 20-0 on the Plains when his teams reach the mark and 40-0 all-time.
Setters Kalei Edson and Peyton Dunn have been making it easy for Auburn's litany of attackers. Madison Scheer, Bel Zimmerman and Bella Bell are all averaging above 3.00 kills per set. Together, Edson and Dunn are distributing at a rate of 13.25 assists per set, the fourth-best average in the SEC.
Defensively, the Tigers are allowing a hitting percentage of just .142 through their first five matches, good enough for third-best in the Southeastern Conference.
A major reason for Auburn's defensive success has been the play of the back row. Led by junior libero Alexis Dacosta, the Tigers are averaging 18.81 digs per set. Not only is Auburn leading the SEC in the category but the mark is also No. 3 in the country.
Dacosta, the transfer from Baylor, is running down digs at a rate of 5.08 digs per set. That number is No. 2 in the SEC and No. 25 in all of Division I volleyball.
Not to be left out, the Orange and Blue block has played a major impact as well. At 2.78 blocks per set, Auburn paces the conference and is No. 38 in the nation.
The Tigers' middle blocking group is bookended by a graduate and a freshman. Chelsey McCurdy, the graduate from Puyallup, Washington leads the way with 1.31 blocks per set while freshman Emma Moore follows close behind at 1.19.
LAST TIME OUT VS FLORIDA STATE
For just the third time in program history and the first time on the road, Auburn was able to best Florida State last season, 3-1 (30-28, 25-21, 19-25, 25-23). Jackie Barrett (44 assists, 11 digs) recorded her second double-double of the season while Akasha Anderson (15 kills), Madison Scheer (14 kills) and Bella Bell (13 kills) all reached double digits. The Tiger offense managed a .356 hitting percentage to outrun the Seminoles.
SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE
Chris Poole starts his 17th season for the Florida State volleyball program. With a total of 371 program wins for the Seminoles, he finished the 2023 season with a 23-9 overall record and a noteworthy 16-2 conference mark in the ACC.
Last season, Florida State led their conference in team assists (13.00) and digs (13.6) per set. After a historic 2023 season, the No. 15 Seminoles are looking to defend their ACC Championship. With 23 wins last season, Florida State achieved its highest wins total since 2016.
FSU kicked off its 2024 season hosting the Seminole Invitational, where they dominated the tournament in front of a sold-out crowd with wins against South Florida, UC Santa Barbara and SEC foe Georgia. The win against the Bulldogs marked the Seminoles’ 43rd win against a ranked opponent in school history and was their first non-conference ranked win since 2021.
Florida has an experienced roster heading into the 2024 season, including 10 players that have played in 25 or more matches and five players who have played at least 40. Notably, the 2023 ACC Co-Player of the Year Audrey Koenig is back for one last season. She led the Noles with 374 kills, 306 digs and 13 double-doubles in 2023.
AUBURN-FLORIDA STATE SERIES
In a matchup that dates back to 1974, Auburn has only bested Florida State on three occasions. However, the Tigers have come out victorious in each of the last two meetings, including a dramatic four-set win last season in Tallahassee. Neither team has swept the other since 1996.