AUBURN, Ala. – It's been nearly a month since Auburn Volleyball has played in front of the Orange and Blue faithful. Wednesday, the Tigers return to Neville Arena for its home opener against Mississippi State at 7 p.m. CT. The match will also be broadcast on the SEC Network.

QUICK HITS
There is seemingly no one in the conference who can stop Madison Scheer. With 39 kills on 79 swings over two matches at Alabama, Scheer deservingly was named SEC Freshman of the Week.
 
On the defensive end, Sarah Morton was equally impressive as Scheer, her 39 digs combined with keeping the Tide to just .125 gave the Munster, Indiana native SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
 
Head coach Brent Crouch's squad continues to be one of the best blocking teams in the conference. At 2.69 blocks per set, Auburn ranks second in the SEC and 18th in the country.
 
Kendal Kemp leads the charge at the net. The freshman has compiled 67 total blocks, the most in the SEC and good enough for No. 21 in the country.
 
With Morton and co. doing their thing in the back row and the blockers up front performing well, Auburn enters the weekend as the 9th-best defense in the country, holding opponents to just .148 hitting across its 13 matches this season.
 
Led by sophomore Fallan Lanham, the Tigers have also vastly improved its serving from a season ago. Auburn is averaging 1.98 aces per set, second-best in the conference and top-20 in the country.

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
Mississippi State travels to Neville Arena with an 8-3 record, and like the Tigers, are undefeated in SEC play after beating Georgia last week. The Bulldogs are currently riding a 14-game winning streak in conference play. 
 
Head coach Julie Darty Dennis is coming off a 2021-2022 season that included a 25-6 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. This year's Bulldog squad has already posted wins at Notre Dame and against a hot Houston Cougar team.
 
Junior libero Lily Gunter leads the Bulldogs in digs with 168, is second on her team in assists (49) and service aces (8). Joining her on the offensive force is right side hitter and graduate student Gabby Waden who leads Mississippi State in kills with 152. Rounding out the offense is Gabby Coulter. Not only does Coulter have the most assists (418) on her team but is third in the SEC for assists per set (10.20), right behind Auburn's own Jackie Barrett.
 
Mississippi ranks in the top five in the SEC in seven categories. They are second in digs per set (15.61), third in assists per set and 11th nationally (13.17), fourth in team attacks per set (33.88),  fifth in hitting percentage (.269) and opponent hitting percentage (.138).

AUBURN-MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES
Auburn owns a 40-25 record over the Bulldogs, including a 24-7 mark on the Plains. However, Mississippi State has bested the Tigers in each of the last three meetings.

UP NEXT
Brent Crouch and the Tigers will enjoy the weekend off before traveling to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for a date with LSU on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. CT.