AUBURN, Ala. – Following a successful opening weekend, head coach Brent Crouch and the Auburn Tigers will face Troy for their home opener on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. CT.
Doors open at 5 p.m. CT and admission is free. For those unable to make it to Neville Arena, the match will be streamed live on the SEC Network Plus. JJ Jackson and Kele Eveland will have the call.
QUICK HITS
Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Dreves was simply dynamic throughout the Cardinal Classic. Dreves put down 47 kills on .385 hitting across three matches, scoring 4.95 points per set. The numbers represent the best such stretch in her young career. Her 18 kills and .567 hitting percentage were both career highs in a three-set sweep over Morehead State. For her efforts, Dreves was named to the Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team.
Fellow outside Liz Markovska was the second Tiger named to the Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team. The Cal Poly transfer tallied 36 kills on .245 hitting to go along with three aces and 17 digs. Markovska led her team with 17 kills in a four-set victory over St. John's to close out the weekend.
Senior libero Alexis Dacosta picked up right where she left off from a season ago. The Katy, Texas native tracked down 23 digs against then-No. 4 Louisville, one shy of her career best, in just three sets. She had 10 digs in just 28 points. Across the weekend, Dacosta averaged a monstrous 5.10 digs per set, a mark that leads the Southeastern Conference through week one.
Junior setter Shanelle Puetz has fit right into the Auburn lineup. The Florida Gulf Coast transfer logged her first double-double of the season (19 assists, 10 digs) as part of the Tigers' two-headed setting team with Kalei Edson. Puetz also demonstrated her serving prowess against St. John's. With four aces on the afternoon, the mark is tied for the third-most in the SEC in a single match this season.
Auburn hit a remarkable .443 in its three-set sweep over Morehead State. It was the highest hitting percentage since toppling Florida (.494) in Gainesville in 2023. The mark was also the second-highest hitting percentage for any SEC in this young season.
The Orange and Blue block has been off to a roaring start in 2025. At 2.70 blocks per set, the Tigers rank fourth in the SEC after the first weekend of play.
SCOUTING TROY
Josh Lauer enters is ninth season as the head coach of the Trojans, sporting a 120-115 record during his time at Troy.
Lauer and Co. began the season in Birmingham, falling to both Georgia and Samford. The Trojans did, however, go five full sets with the Bulldogs.
Through the first two matches, Amiah Butler has been far and away the most potent attacking option for Troy. The Pensacola, Florida native is averaging 4.63 kills per set, 4.94 points and is hitting a robust .306 on 85 swings.
Defensively, both Ashlynn Axtell and Emma Blaine are averaging 0.63 blocks per contest while libero Jaci Mesa is chasing down 3.25 digs per set.
AUBURN-TROY SERIES
In 17 meetings, Auburn has won each matchup with Troy in a series that dates back to 1974. In fact, the Tigers have dropped just two sets against their in-state foe in the rally scoring era.