The Auburn volleyball team will make its move to Auburn Arena this fall, after playing most of its matches in the Student Act in recent years.
Nine of the Tigers' 13 home matches will take place inside Auburn Arena including most of its home SEC matchups and an out-of-conference match against Florida State.
That Florida State match will mark the Tigers' debut in Auburn Arena, and cap a tough out-of-conference slate leading up to SEC play.
"We are really excited about our schedule for this fall," Auburn volleyball head coach Rick Nold said in a statement. "We feel like our preseason matches will be a good variety of styles that will help prepare us for our conference season and ultimately the NCAA Tournament.
"The SEC is, year in and year out, one of the best conferences in the country, and this year will be no different. Each year there seems to be more and more parity amongst the teams, and this year I expect that to contribute to a very exciting season for our fans."
Auburn will still play four matches in the Student Act this fall, including all three of its matches in the Active Ankle Challenge the Tigers will host Sept. 5-6. Troy, Mercer, and Green Bay will be in Auburn for the tournament.
The Tigers will also play their Nov. 8 match against Missouri in the Student Act, due to a scheduling conflict with one of Auburn's basketball teams.
Auburn senior women's athletics director Meredith Jenkins said Auburn is in a "period of transition" with the Student Act as the University's new recreation and Wellness Center nears completion, so the decision was made to move volleyball matches over to the arena.
"With the fact that we have all those lower seats, and you can basically form a bowl with those seats, I think it's going to be a great atmosphere for volleyball in there," Jenkins said. "And we'll have more serving room in there, so I think that will help our student-athletes and the game, and I think it really will be a wonderful experience for everybody that gets to play in there and for the fans that get to watch."
Auburn played volleyball in Beard- eaves Memorial Coliseum as recently as 2007, but the team has since found a home in the Student Act.
When Auburn Arena was first opened in 2010, it was hailed for its size and tighter environment as opposed to the high ceilings of the old Coliseum.
This fall, the volleyball team hopes fans bring that loud atmosphere to its matches.
"The thing about playing in the Student Act is that it's very loud because it's smaller, so hopefully that will kind of translate into the Arena," said senior libero Sarah Wroblicky. "I'm hoping we'll be able to fill up that bottom section at least. That would be pretty cool."
Auburn Arena also boasts a capacity of 9,121 fans. Auburn has only been able to fit a little more than 1,000 fans in the Student Act for volleyball matches in recent years.
"Hopefully we'll get a lot more fans to come," Wroblicky said. "Usually over (at the Student ACT) people have to leave because we only have one side (of bleachers). That will be exciting that more fans will be able to fit into the arena.
"I think it will kind of put us out there a little bit more because it's kind of hard to find the Student Act, especially with the construction. I think that will make it easier for people to find us, so that'll be cool."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
