AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn volleyball team continues its road swing with a Wednesday night contest at Mississippi State, Sept. 26. The Tigers and the Bulldogs will go head-to-head at 6 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
"Mississippi State has always been a scrappy team that will always come at you," head coach Rick Nold said. "They have a lot of new players with a new coach so trying to figure out what they are going to do has been a little bit more tough than usual. I look at it that if we can be more disciplined defensively, that will be a big match for us Wednesday. "
QUICK HITS
- Auburn (7-5, 0-2) opened Southeastern Conference play against Tennessee and at then-No. 25 Alabama last weekend. The squad dropped a pair of 3-1 matches to the Lady Vols and Crimson Tide.
- Senior Brenna McIlroy led the Tigers vs. the Lady Vols with 15 kills in the match. Freshman libero Bella Rosenthall added 14 digs, while junior Karis Beasley finished with 12 in the backrow.
- Auburn had four Tigers in double-digits offensively vs. the Tide Sunday. Freshman Taylor Rowland led the way with 16 kills, while junior Gwyn Jones finished with a season-best 14 on the day.
- Sophomore Anna Stevenson returned to the court against Alabama, totaling 12 kills and a .476 hitting clip. McIlroy followed with 10 kills
- The Auburn front row defense put together a solid performance, totaling 11 blocks for the second-highest team total this year.
- Jones set a career high with six stuffs, while Stevenson and junior Shaina White each had five.
- McIlroy picked up where she has left off the last three season, leading the Tigers offensively on the outside. The Garland, Texas, product has 3.16 kills/set average on the year with 139 over 44 sets played.
With 1,115 kills so far in her career, McIlroy needs just 58 digs for 1,000 and will become the seventh Tiger to achieve both milestones in a career.
- Freshman Mica Allison as earned the starting nod in all matches at setter for the Tigers the year. The White Heath, Ill., native is fifth in the Southeastern Conference with a 9.98 assists/set average.
- Auburn's 2018 schedule boasts 10 2017 NCAA Tournament participants.
- Head Coach Rick Nold stands at 115-104 in his eighth season on the Plains.
- Auburn returns five of seven starters from the 2017 season.
- The 2018 Auburn volleyball incoming class is ranked the seventh-best freshman class in the nation.
- Auburn was picked sixth in the SEC Preseason Coaches' poll.
UP NEXT
The Tigers continue with a Sunday afternoon faceoff at Ole Miss, Sept. 30. AU and the Rebels will go head-to-head at 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
- The Mississippi State Bulldogs stand at 4-11 on the year and are 0-2 in SEC play. The squad is coming off a pair of three-set losses on the road to South Carolina and nationally-ranked Florida.
- The Vols are under first-year head coach Julie Darty.
- Sophomore Kendall Murr is fourth in the SEC with a 4.19 overall digs/set average.
- Junior Amarrah Cooks has a team-best 2.43 kills/set average, having 131 on the year. Freshman AJ Koele isn't too far behind with a 2.15 average and 116 overall.
- Senior setter Morgan Kath paces the Bulldogs with a 7.63 assists/set average.
- Freshman Deja Robinson leads the team with a .83 blocks average and has 43 on the year.
A WIN OVER MSST WOULD...
- Be Auburn's third-straight win over the Bulldogs and the ninth in the last 10th meetings.
AUBURN-MSST SERIES
- Auburn leads the all-time series, 39-20, dating back to 1978. Auburn has won eight of the last nine meetings and are 13-4 against the Bulldogs since 2008.
- This will be the 28th meeting between the two teams in Starkville.