AUBURN, Ala. – Head coach Brent Crouch and the No. 25 Auburn Tigers (13-2, 3-1) hit the road for the first time in SEC play this season, facing Mississippi State (7-6, 1-3) on Sunday, Oct. 13 inside the Newell-Grissom Building.
First serve is set for 2 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast live on the SEC Network. Kevin Fitzgerald and Missy Whittemore will have the call.
QUICK HITS
Auburn debuted at No. 14 in the first RPI ranking of 2024. The mark stands as the highest in program history.
The Tigers make a second straight appearance in the AVCA/Taraflex Coaches Poll at No. 25 this week. Last season, the Orange and Blue reached the top 25 for the first time in school history and remained in the poll for 10 consecutive weeks.
Auburn remains one of the defensive powerhouses in the Southeastern Conference, setting the pace for blocks per set (2.90), digs per set (17.59), and opponent hitting percentage (.165). Not to mention, the team ranks amongst the top 10 programs in the country in blocks per set and digs per set.
Lauren Dreves and Alexis Dacosta extend their impressive performances to week six. Dreves’ 3.58 digs per set and Dacosta’s 3.82 both sit in the top 10 of the SEC.
With 20 digs versus Georgia and another 17 against Texas A&M, Dacosta has reached double figures in 12 matches this season and seven in a row.
With 10 kills and 13 digs, Dreves notched her fifth double-double of her rookie season. The Washington native is tied with redshirt-junior setter Peyton Dunn for the team lead in double-doubles.
Junior Bel Zimmerman and veteran McCurdy each had milestone achievements against Texas A&M. Zimmerman secured her 500th kill, while McCurdy achieved her 200th career block on the Plains.
The Tigers recorded one of their strongest performances at the service line against the Bulldogs and the Aggies. Over the weekend, Auburn produced 11 service aces, including six from Dreves.
LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Lauren Dreves notched her fifth double-double of her young career with 10 kills and 13 digs while both Bel Zimmerman and Chelsey McCurdy reached career milestones. In the end, though, the effort wasn't enough to get past Texas A&M as the Tigers dropped just their second match of the season, 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-21, 25-19).
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
Head coach Julie Darty Dennis is in her seventh season at the helm of the Mississippi State program. This season, the Bulldogs have collected a 7-5 record and a 1-2 in SEC play. Before falling to LSU, they were on a six-match winning streak.
Freshman, Mckenna Yates, was posted with SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, averaging 5.00 digs per set in back-to-back wins over Southern Miss.
Kailin Newsome picked up her seventh double-double of the season against LSU with 10 kills and 10 digs. Newsome, the graduate transfer from Southeastern Louisiana leads the team in kills per set (3.36) and points per set (3.76). The Houston, Texas native also paces the Bulldogs with 3.05 digs per set.
Defensively, both Arissa Smith and Sanaa Williams are averaging north of 1.00 blocks per set. Meanwhile, the setting duo of Erin Kline and Cece Harness are leading a team assist per set total of 13.39, a mark that leads the SEC and sits at No. 6 in the country.
AUBURN-MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES
Auburn owns a 41-26 record over Mississippi State in a series that dates back to 1978. The Tigers are looking to even up their record in Starkville on Sunday, coming into the matchup with a 15-16 record on the road.