AUBURN, Ala. – Following arguably its most convincing victory of the season, Auburn (19-8, 9-7) remains on the Plains to host in-state rival Alabama (10-17, 0-16) on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and doors will open one hour before the match. For those unable to make it to Neville Arena, the contest will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus. Wiley Ballard and Kele Eveland will have the call.
QUICK HITS
Auburn's latest three-set win over LSU was its second sweep in SEC play this season. The Tigers previously knocked off then-No. 9 Florida in Gainesville back on Oct. 6. It was also the first victory over LSU since 2016 and the first straight-set win since 1999.
Hitting .344 on Sunday, Auburn reached the .300 mark for the 10th time in the 2023 campaign. The Tigers are 10-0 in such matches this season and 18-0 under Crouch when reaching .300.
Sophomore outside hitter Akasha Anderson might have played her best match of the year on Sunday against LSU. The Reston, Virginia native delivered an all-around performance, grabbing 14 kills on a season-high .448 hitting percentage to go along with 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Anderson also added three blocks.
Speaking of blocks, Kendal Kemp is on the precipice of 300 career rejections. Kemp owns 298 total blocks entering Wednesday's contest and would become just the eighth Tiger in program history to accomplish the feat.
Kemp, along with fellow middle blocker Kyla Swanson have patrolled the net like few teams in the conference. Both middles average north of 1.00 blocks per set with Kemp setting the pace (1.27) and Swanson close behind (1.09). Each of them ranks in the top 10 in the SEC.
As a team, Auburn's 2.47 blocks per set rank as the fourth-best in the SEC and No. 45 in the country. The 264 total blocks rank second in the conference.
Head coach Brent Crouch is on the doorstep of yet another milestone. His next victory would be the 150th of his career.
LAST TIME OUT VS ALABAMA
Madison Scheer dialed up a patented 21-kill performance last month when the Tigers traveled to Tuscaloosa. Kyla Swanson contributed five blocks as Paige Thibault, Akasha Anderson and Jackie Barrett all reached double digits in digs. It all added up to a 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-23, 25-22) victory for the Tigers.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
After a 10-1 start to the season through non-conference play, Alabama is still looking for its first SEC win, entering Wednesday with a 0-16 record. However, second-year coach Rashinda Reed has taken sets off of Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina, Auburn and LSU.
The Crimson Tide's offense flows through Kendyl Reaugh. The senior outside hitter is the only attacker averaging north of 3.00 kills per set. In her first outing against the Tigers this season, Reaugh went for nine kills on 36 swings for a .028 hitting percentage.
Middle blocker Alyiah Wells is a do-everything talent for Reed. Wells averages a team-high 0.81 blocks per set and her 2.58 kills per set are second on the squad.
Back in October, though, it was Chaise Campbell who found the most success against Auburn. The senior from St. Petersburg, Florida found 10 kills on .421 hitting to go along with seven blocks.
AUBURN-ALABAMA SERIES
Historically, Alabama owns the all-time series record with a 49-38 mark, including a 19-17 record in Auburn. However, since Crouch took over the Tiger Volleyball program, the skipper is undefeated against the in-state rivals, boasting a perfect 5-0 record.
UP NEXT
Auburn remains home for the final match of the regular season when the Tigers host No. 9 Arkansas on Friday, Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. CT. Doors open one hour before first serve and admission is free.
Tigers reset for home bout with Alabama
