AUBURN, Ala.. – Following impressive wins over SMU and Florida State, Auburn returns to the Plains for the Tiger Invitational (Sept. 7-9) as the No. 25 ranked team in the nation, the first ranking in program history.
The Tigers will face Middle Tennessee on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. CT, Charleston Southern on Friday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. CT and Mercer on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. CT. Auburn Volleyball matches are free.
Each match will be streamed live on the SEC Network Plus.
Transfers Bella Bell and Kyla Swanson have been nothing short of stellar in their early Orange and Blue careers. Bell is hitting .436 while Swanson is managing .400 which ranks fourth and sixth in the SEC, respectively.
As a team, the Tigers are swinging a monstrous .337 in the early goings of 2023, the second-best percentage in the conference and No. 9 in the country.
Sophomore Akasha Anderson is barreling toward 500 career kills. The Herndon, Va. product has 495 through just 36 matches in the Orange and Blue.
Libero Sarah Morton earned the 500th dig of her young career against Florida State.
Auburn enters the weekend averaging 14.56 kills per set. The mark is the second-highest in the SEC and currently ranks No. 13 in the nation.
SCOUTING MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Chuck Crawford leads the MTSU Volleyball squad for a seventh season after leading the Blue Raiders to its first winning season since 2013. They finished last season with a 15-14 record, including a 4-10 mark in Conference USA.
Senior Taylor Eisert was named Conference USA setter of the week, tallying 113 assists in their most recent invitational. Eisert ranks second in program history, needing just over 300 more assists to trump MTSU's current program record of 2,872.
The Blue Raiders are looking to secure their fifth consecutive appearance at the Conference USA Tournament in November.
As a team, Middle Tennessee's 14.18 kills per set is the best in the conference and No. 25 in the nation.
SCOUTING CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
The Buccaneers are in their first season with head coach Carry Brown. Brown led the team to their first win under her command during the Charlotte Invitational on Aug. 25, besting Coastal Carolina. She recorded her 100th career victory last week with a win against South Carolina State.
CSU enters the weekend with a record of 5-3. Defensively, the Buccaneers are as stout as anyone in the back row. Their 370 digs rank No. 1 in the Big South Conference and No. 37 in the nation.
Speaking of digs, it's been the play of senior libero Angelika Rusin whose play has been turning heads. Rusin ranks first in the conference in total digs with 113 and No. 23 in the country.
SCOUTING MERCER
The Mercer Bears are also in their first season with a new head coach in Chad Sutton. Sutton joins the Bears from Coastal Carolina where he served as an assistant coach.
Last weekend, the team dominated their second match with Florida Gulf Coast after falling to them in the first. Transfer Kylie Quigley was named to the All-Tournament Team with her seven aces setting the record for most service aces by a player in over a decade for the Bears.
Meanwhile, Skyler Bumpers' .473 hitting percentage is not only first in the SoCon but currently ranks No. 17 in the country.
AUBURN-MTSU SERIES
The Tigers and Blue Raiders haven't met since 2011 and in six clashes, Auburn owns a record of 5-1. However, the Orange and Blue's last win on the Plains over Middle Tennessee was a 3-0 sweep in 1994.
AUBURN-CHARLESTON SO. SERIES
Friday marks the first official meeting between the Tigers and Buccaneers.
AUBURN-MERCER SERIES
Auburn also owns a 5-1 all-time record over Mercer in a series that dates back to 2003. Saturday will mark the fourth straight home matchup for the Tigers against the Bears where Auburn has won two of the last three.
No. 25 Volleyball preps for Tiger Invitational
