AUBURN, Ala. — Head coach Brent Crouch and the Auburn Tigers (16-7, 7-5) return to Neville Arena on Friday, Nov. 7, after a three-game road stint to host No. 6 Texas A&M (19-3, 11-1).
First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT, doors will open at 5 p.m. and admission is free. For those unable to make it to the Plains, the match will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus. Lyn Rollins and Kele Eveland will have the call.
QUICK HITS
No one in the Southeastern Conference is better at blocking than the Auburn Tigers. At 2.94 blocks per set, the Orange and Blue rank No. 1 in the SEC and No. 7 in the country.
Middle blockers Kate Mansfield and Grace Havlicek have been responsible for most of the damage. Mansfield's 1.57 blocks per set is the second-highest average in the conference and No. 6 in the nation. Havlicek, on the other hand, is bringing in a robust 1.19 blocks per set, the ninth-most in the SEC.
If the season ended today, Mansfield's 1.57 blocks per set would go down as a single-season program record.
Combined with Alexis Dacosta's 3.80 digs per set, the Auburn defense is holding teams to just .186 hitting throughout the season, the third-best average in the SEC.
Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Dreves is putting together one of the best seasons for a left side in program history. The Vancouver, Washington native is averaging single-season career-bests in kills per set (3.80), hitting percentage (.279), blocks per set (0.70) and points per set (4.30). Her 3.80 kills per set would go down as the second-highest average in program history.
Dreves notched 10 kills on Sunday at Georgia, marking the eighth-straight match she had reached double figures and the 21st time this season. Her first kill of the afternoon was also the 500th of her young career.
Kalei Edson managed 16 assists and 10 digs versus the Bulldogs, signaling her fourth double-double of the season. Five different Tigers have recorded double-doubles in 2025, with Dreves leading the way at seven.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
Third-year head coach Jamie Morrison is piecing together his best season since arriving in College Station. Entering Friday, the Aggies bring a 19-3 record with an 11-1 mark in SEC play and are currently ranked No. 6 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. Texas A&M boasts recent signature wins over then No. 2 Texas and No. 16 Tennessee.
Senior Maddie Waak has proven to be one of the best setters, not only in the SEC but in the country as well. The Katy, Texas product leads the nation in assists per set at 11.34. Fellow senior Logan Lednicky is Waak's main weapon of choice. Lednicky ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in kills per set (3.93), points (340.5) and points per set (4.54).
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla is a dynamic middle blocker for Morrison and Co. The senior from Flower Mound, Texas leads the conference in blocks per set (1.66) and sits second in hitting percentage (.418). Those numbers also rank fourth and 16th in the nation, respectively.
AUBURN-TEXAS A&M SERIES
In a series that dates back to 1996, Auburn enters Friday with a 5-15 record, including a 3-5 mark at home. However, the Tigers have won four of the last five matchups dating back to 2021.