Currently on a three-match winning streak after defeating Alabama on Sunday, Oct. 29, No. 24 Auburn (17-5, 7-4 SEC) is traveling to College Station, Texas, to take on the Texas A&M Aggies (14-7, 6-5 SEC) on Nov. 5.
The Aggies were winners in their last match against Alabama to end a three-match losing skid. In that three-game skid, Texas A&M lost to No. 17 Florida, Georgia and most recently, No. 12 Tennessee.
In the last match at Tennessee, the Aggies were swept in straight sets.
The normally-strong block for the Aggies, which leads the SEC with 2.95 blocks/set, recorded a season-low three blocks against the Volunteers. The Aggie defense, which also leads the SEC in opponent hitting percentage (.170), allowed the best offense in the conference to hit a .349 mark.
When the Aggies return home to Reed Arena, they are going to be looking for a strong defensive bounce-back match against another defensively sound team in Auburn.
The Tigers are third in the SEC, behind only A&M and Florida, in blocks per set (2.54) and rank fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.189).
For Auburn, the offensive threat it will have to be prepared for is the trio of Logan Lednicky, Caroline Meuth and Bianna Muoneke.
Lednicky is leading the team in kills with 255 and is averaging 3.40 kills/set. However, she was held to a season-low two kills at Tennessee. Meuth and Muoneke led the way against Tennessee with 10 kills each and both are averaging 10.29 kills/match over the last seven matches.
Defensively, A&M is going to be relying on its defensive anchor, Ifena Cos-Okpalla. Cos-Okpalla leads the Aggies with 129 total blocks and leads the SEC with 1.77 blocks/set.
Paired up against Cos-Okpalla will be Auburn’s hot hand as of late: sophomore Madison Scheer.
Scheer has been instrumental in the Tigers’ three-match winning streak, averaging 23 kills/match. She surpassed 600 career kills in the match against Georgia and is 11 away from collecting 300 kills on the season.
Scheer also broke into the individual SEC ranks this week, sitting at ninth in the SEC with 3.44 kills/set. She also holds the 11th and 12th largest kill totals for an SEC player in an individual match, both times collecting 24 kills.
For the Tigers to match A&M’s defensive strength, they are going to rely on their two primary blockers: Kendal Kemp and Kyla Swanson.
Both Kemp and Swanson are sitting in the top 10 in blocks/set in the SEC, Kemp at third with 1.29 blocks/set and Swanson at ninth with 1.14. Swanson currently leads the team with 97 blocks and Kemp is right behind with 94, even after missing the first three matches of SEC play.
Auburn and Texas A&M are set to square off in Reed Arena on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. CST. The match will be televised on SEC Network.
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.
Emily Porch is a senior from Sylacauga, Alabama. She joined The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @emilycporch
