After a commanding 3-1 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs in Neville Arena last Sunday, Auburn will get ready to spend this weekend on the road. The Tigers take the 25th national ranking in the AVCA poll, marking Auburn’s fifth straight week in the poll.
The first stop for the Tigers comes in Gainesville on Friday night, as Auburn looks to avenge their early season home loss to the Florida Gators. Florida is coming off a 1-1 week where they fell at home to Texas A&M in five sets before regrouping to beat South Carolina 3-1.
After what is sure to be a competitive matchup on Friday, Auburn will pack up and head for a Sunday showdown in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Gamecocks are looking to bounce back after dropping both of their matches this past week. Coming off a five set loss at Ole Miss and a 3-1 loss against Florida, South Carolina will have a full week of preparation for the Tigers. No midweek game for the Gamecocks should challenge Auburn with a fresh and energized Gamecock squad.
Florida Players to Watch - Kennedy Martin, AC Fitzpatrick
The Gators outside hitter pair has been terrorizing opposing defenses all season long. Freshman Kennedy Martin and Senior AC Fitzpatrick have combined for 345 of the 699 total team kills. The two totaled 15 and 13 kills respectively last time out vs. South Carolina, with Fitzpatrick hitting an efficient .400.
Martin and Fitzpatrick will look to take advantage of a depleted Auburn back line. In their last match, the Tigers were without liberos Fallan Lanham and Zoe Slaughter. Auburn’s depth will certainly be relied upon to slow down the potent Gator attack.
South Carolina Players to Watch - Ellie Ruprich, Kiune Fletcher
Senior middle blocker Ellie Ruprich has been a defensive force all season long for the Gamecocks. She carries 56 blocks into the weekend matchup with the Tigers and is coming off of a week where she registered seven blocks in her two matches. Ruprich will be handed the tough task of dealing with the Auburn hitters, and will aim to slow down their production.
Arguably the hottest player on the Gamecocks over the last few games has been Senior right side hitter Kiune Fletcher. After a huge offensive night vs. Ole Miss with 20 kills on 39 swings, Fletcher followed up with a similar performance against the ninth ranked Florida Gators. She would go on to total 14 kills and a block, all on a stellar .385 hitting percentage. Fletcher will look to continue her dominance against the Tigers on Sunday.
Auburn Players to Watch - Madison Scheer, Kendal Kemp
Sophomore pin hitter Madison Scheer has been playing some of her best volleyball recently. Scheer finished with 14 kills on a .414 hitting percentage against Georgia last Sunday, and is quickly becoming a concrete number two option offensively behind Akasha Anderson. With Scheer breaking on to the scene, opposing defenses will have an extremely difficult time defending the two headed monster of Scheer and Anderson.
Auburn returned a key player from injury last week in Sophomore middle blocker Kendal Kemp, and she didn’t miss a beat. In an extremely efficient performance, Kemp recorded eight kills on just 12 attempts, as well as four blocks. The return of Kemp allows head coach Brent Crouch to return players back to their natural positions and reinstates the fluidity in the Auburn attack.
Auburn and Florida will square off Friday night at 6 p.m. CT on SEC+ in another ranked matchup between the two. Following that match, the Tigers will travel to South Carolina. First serve will be Sunday at 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
