AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn Tigers will play host to a top-25 Florida Gators team Wednesday night in the final home game of the season.
Auburn’s campaign has been a roller coaster up to this point. After starting the season by going 10-1 in the non-conference schedule and taking down the Kentucky Wildcats for the first time in nearly 15 years, an eight-game skid has since become an enigma surrounding the program.
During that losing span, the Tigers have only been able to send two matches to five sets, and have only taken eight sets overall. After starting out on a trajectory that had the Tigers on a collision course with a third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, Auburn is now desperate for a resume booster. With their RPI ranking sitting at 45, head coach Brent Crouch’s team is right on the edge as the end of the season approaches.
The next three matches will certainly present the Tigers with some challenges, but it will also be three massive opportunities to right the ship. The first big test comes against one of the greatest coaches and most influential figures in the sport of volleyball. Gator coach Mary Wise, who is now in her 34th season at the helm, comes into the matchup with over 1,000 career wins, good for fourth most in Division I history.
She will lean on her two preseason All-SEC selections to run the show. Sophomore outside hitter Kennedy Martin leads the league in kills, averaging an absurd 5.29 per set. She has gone for over 20 kills in seven different matches this season and has eclipsed 30 three times this year. In the match against Auburn in Gainesville, Martin had 20 kills while hitting .559.
Distributing the ball will be Florida’s preseason All-SEC setter Alexis Stucky. The redshirt sophomore has been unlucky with injuries, and is still rotating in and out as setter, but in her last two matches she has racked up 81 assists. As she continues to play more consistently, Auburn will have to be ready to stop the Stucky to Martin connection that has been key to the Gators’ successes this season.
For the Auburn seniors and graduates, it will be their last time playing in Neville Arena. If the Tigers are to get a crucial win on senior night, it will have to be the upperclassmen who step up.
The pair of graduate students, Bella Bell and Chelsey McCurdy will be key on both sides of the ball. McCurdy ranks eighth in the conference in blocks per set. Over the course of the losing streak, the Tigers’ block numbers have dropped significantly, and a big night from McCurdy in the middle could turn the tide.
Bell has been devastating from the right side in Auburn’s wins this year, and double-digit kill performances from the Kentucky transfer have been themes in the Tigers’ success this year. Crouch has his attack spread out extremely well this season, making it tough for opponents to pick up on every hitting threat. Bell is a player who could fall under the radar and might see late hands to take advantage of.
A win would give the Tigers their 5th victory in league play this season and a big result against a team ranked 19th in the RPI. The senior night matchup is set to have first serve at 6 p.m. CT Wednesday night in Neville Arena. The game will be broadcasted on the SEC Network and will have radio coverage from WEGL 91.1 FM.
