Auburn volleyball hosts its first three matches of the year in the War Eagle Invitational this weekend against North Alabama, Georgia Southern, and Wofford.
Auburn's starts the season with the North Alabama Lions for its first match of the season Friday as it hopes to build off a strong 2023 season.
North Alabama is coming off a solid season where they went 17-12 overall and 9-7 in ASUN conference play. Tristan Johnson returns for his third season as head coach of the Lions where he will need to replace most of his team's production from last year.
The Lions lost five of their top six players in the number of sets played as well as three of their top five players in points scored from last season. Seniors Brenna Tietz, Katy Floyd, and Elif Ozsoy are the only three players who played in 70 or more sets on last year's teams.
Tietz tallied the third most sets played and tied for second most points for the Lions last season being their most experienced returner. Floyd might be the team's best returning player however, playing in 22 less sets than Tietz, she tied her in points and only tallied one less kill on the season.
Auburn should have an experienced advantage against the Lions, as they hope to start out the season with a win.
Auburns second match of the season comes against the Georgia Southern Eagles, Friday at 8 p.m. CST.
Chad Willis enters his sixth season as head coach of the Eagles, coming off one of the schools' best seasons ever. The eagles finished with a record of 23-9 and earned the first two postseason wins in school history.
Willis returns four of his top five set getters and three of their top four-point scorers from the 2023 season. Sophomore Reagan Barth, and Seniors Jordan Christy and Jillian Gray all return as the team's top kills and points scorers.
With a large majority of their starting lineup returning, Auburn should be in for a tough match against an Eagles team with experience, chemistry, and talent.
Auburns final match of the weekend is against the Wofford Bulldogs set for Saturday at 1p.m. CST.
The Bulldogs are coming off an impressive 23-8 season, winning their first ever Southern Conference tournament before losing in the NCAA tournament to Kentucky. Lynze Roos enters her 10th season as head coach, coming off her fourth consecutive winning season.
The Bulldogs have a lot of production to replace from their historic 2023 season, losing six of their top ten sets getters from last year. Seniors Sarah Maclean, Mary Emily Morgan, and Sophomore Taylor Pecht return as the only players to play in over 50 sets last year.
Morgan and Maclean both return as top four in both kills and points from last year and look to be the most important players for the Bulldogs this season. Pecht is the only other starter to return, being the team's primary setter all of last year, and should provide a solid floor to the team.
Although they are replacing a vast majority of their production from last year, Wofford will be a tough match with an experienced Head coach and solid veterans.
Auburn starts their season against North Alabama Friday at 10 a.m. CST in Neville Arena.
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Luke McClure is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in sports production. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @lukemcclure0
