AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn volleyball makes its first multi-game road trip of SEC play, starting the weekend in the Music City. The Tigers (11-4, 1-2 SEC) are set to play Vanderbilt (11-2, 2-2 SEC) at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 9. The match at Vanderbilt's Memorial Gymnasium is the first of four straight on the road for Auburn.
The Tigers are coming off a pair of ranked losses to top-SEC opponents, Kentucky and Tennessee. Auburn will look to adjust and find its footing in the SEC standings with a pair of battleground opponents on the horizon in Vanderbilt and Missouri.
ON THE AIR
- Friday's match will be streamed on SEC Network+. Alex Gould (PxP) and Reagan Rutherford (analyst) will be on the call; first serve is set for 7 p.m. CT.
LAST TIME OUT
- Auburn dropped its Sunday match against #11 Tennessee in straight sets (19-25, 18-25, 13-25).
- The Tigers hit .111 as a team.
- Lauren Dreves led the team in kills and had a double-double for the first time since returning from illness. She had 10 kills and 11 digs in the loss.
- Tennessee's Kennedi Rogers had a match-high 15 kills, hitting .368.
SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
- Vanderbilt had a strong non-conference, undefeated in nine matches prior to SEC play.
- The Commodores fell in their first two SEC matches: vs Kentucky and at Missouri, each 3-1.
- Vanderbilt is back to its winning ways with back-to-back road sweeps. The Commodores won 3-0 at LSU on Sept. 30 and 3-0 at Ole Miss on Oct. 4.
- The Commodores rank 11th in the initial RPI report of the season, presenting a big opportunity for the Tigers to climb the rankings.
- Vandy's attack has been one of the best in the nation with the fourth-best hitting percentage at .312. The mark leads the SEC.
- The Commodores rank fourth in the country with 14.48 kills per set, and second in DI with 13.61 assists per set.
- Avery Scroggins is the nation's top assister with 11.79 assists per frame.
- The attack is a team effort for Vanderbilt with three different hitters above three kills per set (Reese Animashuan: 3.68, Samantha Wunsch: 3.67, and Maya Witherspoon: 3.05).
- Vanderbilt lacks in the blocking department with just 1.75 blocks per set. Kayla Dunlap is the top blocker this season with a block per set in her 24 sets played.
- The Commodores' serving is strong with 1.98 aces per set, the 26th-best mark in DI.
SERIES HISTORY
- Auburn won last year's meeting between the programs, the only time the teams have faced each other since Vanderbilt reinstated volleyball for the 2025 season. The Tigers took last year's match 3-1 in Auburn.
- Last season, Kate Mansfield led the Tigers with six blocks against the Commodores. Dreves led returning Tigers with 10 blocks.
- Auburn leads the all-time series 7-0, with six matches in the series played between 1974 and 1980.
- 2026 will mark the first time Auburn and Vanderbilt have played in Nashville.
UP NEXT
- The Tigers continue the road trip, heading west to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Missouri Tigers at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11. Auburn is on the road next week as well, at Texas and Texas A&M.
—War Eagle—