AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn (10-1) will host the 12th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (6-5). The Cats roll into Neville arena off the back of a 3-1 loss to second-ranked Stanford, in California. Kentucky has five losses on the season, each to a top-10 team, they will look to use this early season experience to get back on track against the Tigers in the SEC opener for both teams. Auburn boasts a top-25 win over Florida State and a loss to the Golden Gophers in Minnesota.Auburn will look to grab their first win against Kentucky since 2010 and end the 22-match losing streak to the Wildcats.
Auburn is coming off a nearly week-long break, having previously visited Birmingham for the Alabama Showdown where they grabbed wins over Samford, UAB, and South Alabama dropping just two sets across the three matches.
The Tigers will look to keep up their stellar defense in the late-night clash with Kentucky, holding opponents to just a .141 hitting percentage Auburn leads the SEC in the category with the number being good for 17th in the country, paired with a blocking crew that also leads the conference in blocks per set at 2.99 Kentucky will have their hands full with the Auburn front line.
Auburn is a healthy mix of veterans and freshmen as the Tigers look to replicate and build upon last season’s success. The freshmen have acclimated quickly, led by do-it-all talent Lauren Dreves who plays all six rotations for the Tigers they have added a needed boost to the Auburn squad. More freshman talent will be seen Friday night as Grace Havlicek is also projected to start filling in for fellow freshman Emma Moore while she recovers from an injury sustained over the weekend.
Kentucky is not without its threats the stacked Wildcats team remains No. 12 in the nation for a reason, picked by many to win the SEC the Wildcats had one the most difficult non-conference schedules in Kentucky playing five top ten teams, although losing all of them Kentucky learned a lot from these games and marches into Neville Arena battle tested.
The Wildcats have a dangerous offense boasting the third-highest aces per set in the conference at 2.02, 20th nationally, making the threat from the service line considerable. Furthermore, the Kentucky attack is bolstered by the play of the Wildcats All-American Brooklyn DeLeye, DeLeye leads the team in every major offensive category and ranks inside the top 50 in the country in kills per set, aces per set, and attacks per set.
Auburn hosts Kentucky Friday night 9/27 for the SEC opener, first serve is at 8 pm central time and the match will be streaming on the SECN, with the radio call on WEGL 91.1 FM in conjunction with the Auburn Sports Network.
