AUBURN, Ala.— The 48th season of Auburn volleyball begins this weekend as the Tigers travel to Johnson City, Tennessee, for the Buccaneer Classic hosted by ETSU.
Auburn opens the season Friday morning facing Liberty at 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET. The Tigers will then take on host ETSU at 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET. The weekend wraps up Saturday when Auburn faces Akron at noon CT/1 p.m. ET.
Friday’s match vs. ETSU will be streamed on ESPN+. There will be no live stream for the other two matches. Links to live stats are available on auburntigers.com.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THIS WEEK’S OPPONENTS
›› Auburn defeated Liberty 3-0 (15-11, 15-12, 15-6) in the season opener in Charlottesville, Va. The 1989 meeting between Auburn and Liberty is the only previous meeting between the teams in volleyball.
›› Rachel Shanks led Auburn with 11 kills and Jordan Elliott had 34 assists in her collegiate debut as Auburn opened the 2004 season with a 3-0 (30-25, 30-28, 30-23) win over ETSU in the Mizuno/Auburn Challenge. Auburn is 2-0 all-time against ETSU, winning a match in Memphis in 1979 and another in Auburn in 2004.
›› Auburn defeated Akron 3-1 (15-12, 11-15, 15-13, 15-11) on Sept. 5, 1987, at the Michigan Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich. The 1987 meeting between Auburn and Akron is the only previous meeting between the schools in volleyball.
A LOOK BACK
›› Auburn finished 17-11 overall and 7-8 in SEC play for the 2025 season. As a team, the Tigers set a program record for hitting percentage, finishing the season at .248 (1302 kills/442 errors/3468 attempts).
›› Junior Lauren Dreves led the charge with 3.80 kills/set, earning first-team All-SEC honors.
›› Kate Mansfield was the Tigers' top blocker, averaging 1.44 blocks per set. She finished the season with 147 total blocks, the second-most in program history.
A LOOK AHEAD
›› Three starters from last year's team return, including All-SEC performer Lauren Dreves and the Tigers' top blocker in Kate Mansfield. The Tigers' third returning starter is sophomore middle blocker Grace Havlicek.
›› Also returning are senior right side Eden Bower, senior setter Shanelle Puetz and sophomore outside hitter Greer Chambless. In addition, junior outside hitter Belle Patrick and junior middle blocker Emma Moore return to action this year after missing the 2025 season with injuries.
›› The Tigers welcome three transfers for 2026: junior outside Anastasija Ivkovic (UCLA), senior libero/DS Symone Sims (Kansas State), sophomore setter Carson Eickenloff (Ole Miss).
›› Five true freshmen also join the Tigers: middle blocker Chierika Okororie (McKinney, Texas); outside hitter Reese Shugart (Spartanburg, S.C.), middle blocker Emma Gutke (Sammamish, Wash.); libero/DS Emily Keiran (Louisville, Ky.); and libero/DS Macy McAmis (Jupiter, Fla.).
SEASON OPENERS
›› In his six previous seasons on the Plains, Brent Crouch owns a 4-2 record in season openers. One loss came during the COVID-shortened, conference-only 2020 season, and the other came last season on the road at No. 4 Louisville.
›› Friday's match will be the second straight season-opener on the road.
ROAD (AND NEUTRAL) WARRIORS
›› Auburn will open the season with nine straight matches away from the friendly confines of Neville Arena. It's the longest stretch of road and neutral matches for Auburn since the 2019 season when the Tigers played 10 straight matches away from home from Sept. 6 through Sept. 29.
UP NEXT
›› The Tigers head to Madison, Wisconsin, for two matches in the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge. Auburn takes on No. 14 Minnesota on Wednesday, Sept. 2, then faces No. 6 Wisconsin on Thursday, Sept. 3.