AUBURN, Ala. – With one SEC road victory already under their belts, head coach Brent Crouch and the No. 25 Auburn Tigers (14-2, 4-1) head to Tuscaloosa for a rivalry bout with Alabama (9-7, 1-4) on Wednesday, Oct. 16 inside Foster Auditorium.
First serve is slated for 6 p.m. CT and the match will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus. Noah Reed and Lane Stone will have the call.
QUICK HITS
Auburn moved up to No. 12 in the latest RPI report on Monday, signaling a new best for Crouch and the Tiger Volleyball program.
Graduate Bella Bell has made a career out of rejecting opponent attacks. The converted middle blocker grabbed five more blocks in Auburn's win over Mississippi State and has now eclipsed over 300 for her career.
Both Madison Scheer and Bel Zimmerman each excelled in Starkville. The pair of Missouri products both tied their season-highs as Scheer put down 18 kills and Zimmerman snagged 16. Scheer has now reached double-digit kill totals in nine straight matches.
Freshman Kalei Edson proved why she is amongst the top setters in the Southeastern Conference on Sunday. As part of the Orange and Blue's two-headed setting duo alongside Peyton Dunn, Edson helped an Auburn offense hit .359 versus the Bulldogs. Edson added eight digs and three aces to her match total as well. Her performance earned the rookie SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
Auburn’s defense remains one of its strongest attributes. Staying at No. 1 in the conference, the Tigers hold their opponents to a .166 hitting percentage, ranking No. 32 in the nation.
Crouch’s blocking unit sets the pace for the SEC with 2.85 per set and sits ninth in Division I Volleyball. Front-row standouts Emma Moore (1.32) and Chelsey McCurdy (1.28) maintain their spots at fourth and sixth in the conference.
Keeping up the electric front row, the back row is equally as impressive, averaging 17.33 digs per set. The mark is the second-best in the SEC and 12th in the country.
LAST TIME OUT
Madison Scheer (18 kills), Bel Zimmerman (16 kills) and Bella Bell (13 kills) all reached double digits as Kalei Edson and Peyton Dunn directed an offense that hit .359 during a four-set win over Mississippi State. The Orange and Blue defense dialed up nine big blocks and the back row scooped up 55 digs as the Tigers earned their first SEC road win of the season.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
After falling to the Tigers during the opening weekend of SEC play, Alabama bounced back with a victory over Georgia. Head coach Rashinda Reed and the Crimson Tide are still looking for their second SEC victory, though, falling to both Missouri and Arkansas last weekend.
Offensively, Alabama leans heavily on the play of junior outside hitter Sophie Agee. The Houston, Texas native leads her team in kills per set (3.63) and points per set (4.07). Both Paris Thompson and Chaise Campbell average north of 2.5 kills per set as well.
Defensively, the Crimson Tide's libero Francesca Bertucci is amongst the SEC's best. Her 4.11 digs per set ranks fourth in the conference. Bertucci corralled 14 digs the last time these two teams met on Sept. 29.
AUBURN-ALABAMA SERIES
Although Alabama owns a 49-40 all-time record in the series, Auburn has won each of the last eight meetings. Head coach Brent Crouch is a perfect 7-0 against the Tigers' in-state rival, including a 3-0 mark inside Foster Auditorium.