AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn volleyball will host No. 4 Florida on Friday, Oct. 30 at Neville Arena. First serve between Auburn (12-9, 2-7 SEC) and Florida (17-2, 8-1 SEC) is set for 6 p.m.
The Tigers look to bounce back from a loss against LSU on Sunday and snap Florida's four-match winning streak. Prior to Sunday, Auburn played one of its best offensive matches of the season, hitting .361 in a sweep against Ole Miss.
The Gators sit atop the Southeastern Conference with an 8-1 record, including four ranked wins in SEC play. Florida is one of the most efficient teams in the country, while stifling opponent attacks at the same time. The Gators are one of just three teams in the country to rank in the top-15 in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage.
ON THE AIR
- Friday's match will be streamed on SEC Network+ at 6 p.m. CT. JJ Jackson (PxP) and Kele Eveland (Analyst) will be on the call.
NOTABLES
- Anastasija Ivkovic has recorded seven or more kills in 13 consecutive matches.
- Emma Moore set career highs with nine kills on 13 attacks, hitting a career-best mark of .615.
- Grace Havlicek just needs 20 more attacks to qualify for Auburn's single-season hitting percentage lists. Havlicek is currently hitting .400 on the season, easily topping the single-season lists when she qualifies.
LAST TIME OUT
- Auburn dropped its match on Sunday to LSU, 3-1: 16-25, 25-21, 23-25, 18-25.
- LSU won the opening set, using an 8-1 run to open up a large lead early.
- Auburn responded with a steady set victory, using multiple five-point runs to win the set.
- LSU won a back-and-forth third set, taking the largest lead of the set at 23-20.
- Jurnee Robinson dominated the fourth set as LSU took insurmountable leads at 7-0 and 10-1.
- Robinson finished the match with 19 kills.
- Belle Patrick and Ivkovic led Auburn with 11 kills each.
- Freshman libero Emily Keiran led Auburn with 18 digs.
SCOUTING THE GATORS
- Florida visits the Plains as the No. 4-ranked team in the nation.
- The Gators have just two losses on the season, both on the road. Wisconsin handed Florida its first loss, 3-2, on Sept. 2, the day before Auburn played the same Badger team. Florida's only SEC loss came at Vanderbilt, 3-1.
- Florida's big SEC victories include currently ranked programs: Tennessee, 3-0, Kentucky, 3-2, Texas A&M, 3-1, and Texas, 3-2.
- Middle blocker Alec Rothe ranks fifth in the country and first in the SEC, with a .449 hitting percentage. Rothe's 1.31 blocks per set rank 40th in DI.
- The Florida offense runs through setter Taylor Parks. Parks ranks 40th in the NCAA with 10.28 assists per set.
- The Gators as a whole hit .285, the 11th-best mark in NCAA DI. Florida holds its opponents to a .160 hitting percentage, the 14th-best in the country. Florida is just one of three teams in DI to rank in the top-15 in both hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage (Nebraska & Louisville).
- Rothe and the rest of the Gators rank 15th in the country with 2.79 blocks per set.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Gators have a commanding lead on the all-time series, winning 49 of the 53 meetings between Florida and Auburn.
- Two of Auburn's four wins over Florida have come on home court, most recently coming in 2015. Florida leads the series 18-2 in Auburn.
- The Tigers' most recent win over Florida was a sweep over #9 Florida in Gainesville. Auburn stunned the Gators, hitting .387, led by Akasha Anderson's 18 kills.
- Florida is on a three-match winning streak over Auburn.
- Last season's match went four sets, with Auburn winning the second frame. Lauren Dreves had a match-high 19 kills. Kate Mansfield had six blocks, and Shanelle Puetz logged 21 assists. Florida won 25-18, 17-25, 25-18, 27-25.
A NEW LOOK OFFENSE
- Mansfield made the switch to pin hitter from middle blocker ahead of Auburn's match at Texas on Oct. 16. Mansfield primarily plays on the right side when Ivkovic rotates into the back row.
- This move brought Moore back into the rotation as a starting middle blocker, giving her her first consistent time starting since returning from a near two-year injury recovery from Tommy John surgery.
- For two rotations, the switch pairs Mansfield with Havlicek, the Tigers' two top blockers.
- In SEC play, notable splits before and after moving Mansfield to the pins include:
- Hitting Percentage: .153 ›› .268
- Kills per set: 10.95 ›› 12.79
- Assists per set: 10.20 ›› 12.00
- Points per set: 14.10 ›› 15.93
- Blocks per set: 2.05 ›› 2.29
UP NEXT
- The Tigers host Oklahoma for Halloweekend on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. The match between Auburn and Oklahoma will be televised on SEC Network.
—War Eagle—