AUBURN, Ala. – Head coach Brent Crouch and the Auburn Tigers (14-7, 4-6) head back out on the road, battling Arkansas (14-7, 4-5) on Sunday, Nov. 3 inside Barnhill Arena.
First serve is set for 3 p.m. CT and the match will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus. Brett Dolan and Caitlin Vogrinc will have the call.
QUICK HITS
Both Lauren Dreves and Peyton Dunn rolled out solid performances against Ole Miss, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Dunn notched her team-leading seventh double-double of the season with 21 assists and 15 digs. Dreves, on the other hand, ran down a team-high 18 digs to go along with her 12 kills to secure her sixth double-double for the rookie out of Vancouver, Washington.
Dreves has been an all-around weapon for Crouch and the Tigers. Over the last three matches, the freshman has stacked up 40 kills on an even .300 hitting percentage.
Thanks to a combined effort from the front and back rows, Auburn maintains its No. 2 spot in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers’ .185 opponent hitting percentage ranks second behind only the No. 9 Texas Longhorns.
Averaging 2.70 blocks per set, the Orange and Blue wall remains a defensive force in the SEC. The mark is good enough for No. 2 in the conference and No. 18 in all of Division I Volleyball.
Defense meets defense in Fayetteville on Sunday as Auburn’s 16.32 digs per set is second only to Arkansas. Compared to last season, the Tigers are averaging nearly 4.0 more digs per set in 2024.
Speaking of digs, junior Alexis Dacosta added another consistent defensive performance with 11 digs against Ole Miss. Dacosta has notched 11 consecutive matches with at least 10 digs and has reached double digits in all but three of the matches she's played in as a Tiger.
Thrust into the starting lineup, redshirt-freshman Jasmine Okeoma has made the most of her opportunity, stacking up a combined 14 blocks at a rate of 3.5 per set over the last two matches.
LAST TIME OUT
Both Peyton Dunn and Lauren Dreves notched doubled-doubles versus the Rebels but the Tigers were unable to slow down Ole Miss as the visitors ran away with the match, 3-1 (25-20, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21).
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Jason Watson enters his ninth consecutive season as the head coach of the Razorbacks, boasting nine NCAA Tournament selections. Arkansas enters Sunday's matchup with a 14-7 overall record, including a 7-2 mark inside Barnhill Arena. Despite five straight losses, the Razorbacks feature solid wins over Georgia, Ole Miss and Oklahoma.
Like Auburn, Arkansas is known for its strong defensive play. The Razorbacks lead the conference in digs, averaging 16.83 per match and rank fifth in opponent hitting percentage at .195.
Senior libero Courtney Jackson has been downright stellar, averaging 4.69 digs per, the second-most in the Southeastern Conference. On the front row, senior Zoi Evans leads the Razorbacks in blocks, averaging 1.25 per set, sitting fifth in the conference.
Redshirt-Freshman Anaya Madkin has done most of the heavy lifting on offense, putting down 3.76 kills per set. Sophomore outside hitter Romani Thurman isn't far behind, collecting a robust 3.26 per set. Directing it all is veteran setter Hannah Hogue. The senior out of Olathe, Kansas operates at a rate of 9.99 assists per set while also running down 3.69 digs per set.
AUBURN-ARKANSAS SERIES
Auburn enters Sunday's matchup with a 12-43 record against Arkansas in a series that dates back to 1994. The Tigers' last victory in Barnhill Arena came by way of a four-set win in 2016 behind a trio of stellar performances from Gwyn Jones (16 kills), Courtney Crable (15 kills) and Breanna Barksdale (12 kills). The last time these two programs met, it took extra points in the fifth to decide a winner on the final day of the regular season in 2023.