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A spirit that is not afraid

Taking a glimpse at the next Auburn volleyball opponents

<p>Auburn volleyball players react during the game between Auburn and Florida at Auburn Arena on Oct 21, 2020; Auburn, AL, USA.&nbsp;</p>

Auburn volleyball players react during the game between Auburn and Florida at Auburn Arena on Oct 21, 2020; Auburn, AL, USA. 

After a difficult 2020-21 season that saw his Tigers go winless in eight contests, head coach Brent Crouch has seen different results to open the 2021-22 season. Auburn hasn’t just won both of its first two matches of the season, it's dominated its competition with a pair of sweeps.

While reaching 3-0 set marks in both the Tennessee Tech and Jackson State games is impressive, what’s even more exciting is what underlies the team’s path to those victories. This weekend, the Tigers will see if they can sustain their momentum while facing a pair of non-conference opponents.

To make things even more favorable for Auburn, the Tigers will receive an unexpected home court advantage after Hurricane Ida forced the planned Southeastern Showdown Tournament to move from Hammond, Louisiana, to Auburn, Alabama.

Can the Tigers stay hot? Or will they have trouble facing a set of teams hungry for a road victory? Let’s look at the matchups and key players.

Auburn vs Cal State Fullerton

Sept. 2 at Auburn Arena, 7 PM CST

The Tigers have relied heavily on the trio of Tatum Shipes, Rebekah Rath, and Liz Reich when it’s come to carrying the scoring load. 

The three have combined for 80% of Auburn’s kills through two games, with the newcomers Reich and Rath doing the heaviest lifting. The two offseason transfers were the top two players in kills for Auburn in both outings.

The threat of diverse attacking options is daunting for the opposition, but it’s worth noting that Auburn’s defense has been solid as well. The Tigers have particularly dominated on the block, out-stuffing their opponents 23-7.

Cal Fullerton is comparable in height to their adversaries, but have not been able to produce similar results through their pair of games.

Despite this, there are players to key in on. In particular, watch out for Julia Crawford, who’s coming off of a 21-kill performance against Fordham on Aug. 28.

The sophomore outside hitter from Lakeside, California, may only be 5-foot-9, but she leads the Titans in scoring by a hefty margin. The next closest on the team to her 29 kills is middle blocker Nicole Shuhandler with 11.

The Titans are 1-1 on the season, coming off of a 3-1 win against Fordham on Aug. 28 and looking for their first ever victory against an SEC program.

Auburn vs Southeastern Louisiana

Sept. 3 at Auburn Arena, 7:30 PM CST

Coming off of a season where they posted the program’s highest winning percentage since 1996, Southeastern Louisiana has had a less-than-spectacular beginning to its year, with a 3-2 loss to Gonzaga followed by a 3-1 loss to Mississippi State.

The Lions run a balanced attack, with five players posting double-digit kill totals on the season. SLU should also be noted for their tenacity, producing three players with double-digit digs in a failed comeback bid against Gonzaga.

The player to watch is Gracie Duplechein, a freshman setter who leads the Lions in assists and aces. The dangerous setter has made excellent use of the plethora of scoring options on her roster thus far.

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SLU might struggle to counter Auburn’s superior size, particularly against middle blocked Bella Yavuz (6’3”) and outside hitter Tatum Shipes (6’4”). The tallest SLU players are middle blockers Karlee Wilkerson and Hannah Haerer, both listed at 6'1".


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