After last weekend's huge victory over Florida and South Carolina, the Tigers look toward their next SEC foe. It won't be an easy match, as Auburn will travel to No. 10 Tennessee to take on the Lady Volunteers.
Auburn comes in at 14-3 and ranked No. 22. The Tigers got their first win in Gainesville in program history last weekend, as the Tigers swept Florida in three sets. They also recorded a close victory over South Carolina. Auburn now turns its attention to the Lady Volunteers.
Tennessee is 15-1 on the season, its best start to a season since 2004. The Lady Volunteers only loss was a close 3-2 defeat to No. 1 Wisconsin on Sept. 3.
They have swept all three of their last SEC opponents. They have only dropped one set in SEC play, in a 3-1 victory over Mississippi State and are ranked inside the top 10 for the first time since the 2005 season.
Auburn snapped a six-match losing streak to Tennessee last season in a 3-1 victory in Neville Arena. Auburn last won in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the 2017 season.
The Lady Volunteers have a dynamic trio of players in Morgahn Fingall, Jenaisya Moore and Erykah Lovett. Fingall has 217 kills, Moore has 185 kills and Lovett has 135 kills. They are one of the many reasons this squad has not lost in over a month.
Auburn has its own strong trio with Akasha Anderson, Madison Scheer and Bel Zimmerman. Anderson has 211 kills, Scheer has 199 kills and Zimmerman has 115 kills.
The Tigers will be tested once again against one of the best teams in the country for the second weekend in a row. When Tennessee has won, it has been with little concern. In its 15 wins this season, 12 of those have come in a sweep over its opponent.
Auburn will look to get its offense going against Tennessee. When Wisconsin defeated the Lady Volunteers, it came off the back of winning the first two sets. Tennessee battled back and forced a fifth set, with the Badgers getting the victory. Auburn will need to jump out early and look to put away Tennessee.
Tennessee will look to continue to dominate its competition as it has all season. Outside of the close defeat to the top-ranked team in the nation, no one has been close to knocking the Lady Volunteers off. Auburn has lost to Florida in a close match, Middle Tennessee in an upset and was swept by Arkansas on the road.
Tennessee will look to continue its dominance with the home crowd support, as it is a perfect 7-0 at home. Auburn will look to play at its best against one of the top teams in the country and continue to rise in the polls.
Auburn will play Tennessee in Knoxville on Friday, at 5:30 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcasted on SEC Network+
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TP is a senior from Montgomery, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @tp_hammock
