The Auburn volleyball team will travel to Starkville, Miss., to begin Southeastern Conference play against the Mississippi State Bulldogs tomorrow at 7 p.m.
The Tigers overall record is currently 8-3.
Auburn most recently participated in the Bash in the Boro Tournament at Georgia Southern.
The Tigers competed against Coastal Carolina, Wake Forest and the hosting team, Georgia Southern.
"It was good to play a match to five at a high level against Georgia Southern," said Head Coach Wade Benson. "That match will help us prepare for the upcoming weekend when we start conference play."
The first day of the tournament, Auburn defeated Coastal Carolina 3-0.
After the second and final day of the tournament, Auburn added two more wins to its season with wins against both Wake Forest 3-0 and Georgia Southern 3-2.
By the end of the tournament the Tigers not only came out with three outstanding victories, but also had two players named to the all-tournament team.
Freshman outside hitter Sarah Bullock and junior defensive specialist Liz Crouch were both named to the all-tournament team.
Freshman outside hitter Katherine Culwell was named to SEC's Freshman of the Week for the second time this season. Culwell was awarded the Bash in the Boro Most Valuable Player.
She finished with 15 kills against Coastal Carolina and 12 kills against Georgia Southern.
After an excellent finish to the Georgia Southern 'Bash in the Boro' tournament, the Tigers prepare for SEC play with their first opponent, Mississippi State.
"I think for us it's not necessarily about the opponent as much as we just need to take care of our side of the court," Crouch said. "Winning our first SEC match will be a great confidence boost for our team especially going into Alabama on Sunday."
The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs are currently 4-7 after their final tournament in the regular season.
They most recently played against Arkansas State, Northwestern State and Eastern Michigan at the Mississippi State Bulldog Invitational this weekend.
Mississippi State went 2-1 in the weekend tournament, losing to Arkansas State last Friday, the first day of the tournament.
The Bulldogs then went on to defeat both Northwestern State and Eastern Michigan last Saturday on the final day of the tournament.
Mississippi State's volleyball team is coached by Jenny Hazelwood, who began coaching the Lady Bulldogs this year.
The team is led by junior middle blocker Ashley Newsome and senior outside blocker Ioana Demian, who combined for 38 kills against Eastern Michigan and were both named to the MSU Bulldog Invitational all-tournament team.
Demian finished Saturday night's match against Eastern Michigan with a career-high 20 kills and a hitting percentage of .450.
Newsome completed the match with 18 kills and 15 digs and a career-best 19 kills against Northwestern State.
The Bulldog Invitational marked the end of six straight home matches for Mississippi State.
Auburn's No. 1 priority still remains playing as a team.
"Our biggest goal going into this weekend is to play together," Crouch said. "We need to have a united team effort in order to compete with anyone in the SEC."
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