Tag: Auburn volleyball

Auburn volleyball makes NCAA Tournament for second straight season

Auburn is set to face Western Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Auburn Tigers are dancing once again.

For the second straight season, the volleyball team has made the NCAA Tournament, this time as a seven seed. They will play Western Michigan on Thursday at 3 p.m. CT in Louisville. The winner will then play the winner of two seed Louisville and Wright State.

It is the first time Auburn has made the tournament in back-to-back seasons and head coach [autotag]Brent Crouch[/autotag] is the first coach in program history to guide Auburn to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances.

“It’s a big deal,” Crouch said. “We talked at the beginning of the year about can we do it again. Mostly what I meant by that was can we play at the same level or better? Can we improve? And can we make it to the NCAA Tournament again? And we’ve done that. Never been done here at Auburn, twice in a row as we know. So it’s a huge step forward. It’s also a huge step forward that we knew we were in. We were not a bubble team. We got seeded and that’s a huge step in the right direction.”

Auburn finished the regular season 20-9 overall and 10-8 in SEC play, good enough to tie for fourth place in the conference.

Last season, the Tigers beat Creighton in the first round of the tournament before falling to Houston in five sets in the second round.

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Most crucial Auburn volleyball players to watch in 2023

The Tigers look to repeat its 2022 success, and will rely heavily on these ten players.

Auburn volleyball is gearing up for another big year after a historic season in 2022. The Tigers finished last season with a 22-9 record and won a postseason match for just the second time in program history. Their postseason win over Creighton was the program’s first over a No. 1 seed.

Head coach [autotag]Brent Crouch[/autotag] received a contract extension during the offseason, some changes were made to the coaching staff, and new talent was added to the team so it will be interesting to see if Auburn can match last season’s success.

Here are the top 10 Auburn volleyball players to keep an eye on in 2023:

Auburn volleyball’s Akasha Anderson named to Preseason All-SEC Team

Auburn is looking up to follow its historic 2022 season.

Pin hitter [autotag]Akasha Anderson[/autotag] was named to the Preseason All-SEC Team and Auburn was picked to finish seventh in the SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll the conference announced Wednesday.

Auburn received 89 points in the preseason poll after going 22-9 last season and making the program’s second NCAA Tournament berth in head coach [autotag]Brent Crouch[/autotag]’s third season on the Plains.

Anderson was a major reason for Auburn’s terrific season, becoming the 2022 AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year and making the All-Region Team after leading Auburn with 428 kills and 3.54 kills per set.

Both were the second-best marks in program history and ranked top-five in the SEC in 2022. The Reston, Virginia native finished with nine double-doubles on the year, eclipsing 20 kills in eight separate matches.

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Auburn volleyball welcomes Jack Burton as assistant coach

Burton was a part of Florida Gulf Coast’s staff last season, which led the Eagles to a 26-7 record.

Just a few weeks after head coach [autotag]Brent Crouch[/autotag] received a five-year contract extension, Auburn has added [autotag]Jack Burton[/autotag] to its staff as an assistant coach.

“My wife Cori and I want to thank Athletics Director John Cohen, Senior Associate AD Joy Vrbka and head coach Brent Crouch for this opportunity,” said Burton. “We could not be more excited to be a part of the Auburn family. I look forward to working with each of these amazing student-athletes and this entire staff to continue building upon the success they’ve already accomplished. It is truly an honor to work here and I cannot wait to get started. War Eagle!”

Burton spent last season in Fort Meyers, Florida as an assistant coach for Florida Gulf Coast and helped lead the team to one of the best seasons in program history.

The Eagles went 26-7 overall and 13-3 in Atlantic Sun Conference play, back-to-back conference titles, and the third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

“Jack is going to be a substantial addition to an already deep, first-class staff,” said Crouch. “His expertise will lift all areas of our program from practice planning to recruiting. I’m particularly excited for him to help with the development of our outside hitters and scouting. Jack’s character, integrity and overall demeanor will perfectly fit what Auburn Volleyball is all about. We are delighted to welcome him and his wife Cori to the Plains.”

Auburn volleyball finished with a 22-9 record in 2022, and will look to build in 2023.

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Brent Crouch signs a five-year extension after leading Auburn to one of the best seasons in program history

In just his third season on the Plains, Crouch led Auburn Volleyball to its most wins since 1998.

After leading Auburn to one of its best seasons in program history, head volleyball coach [autotag]Brent Crouch[/autotag] has signed a five-year contract extension that will run through the 2027 season.

“My plan has always been to be at Auburn long-term and to build a perennial NCAA Tournament team capable of competing for championships,” said Crouch. “In every sense of the phrase, the SEC and Auburn have never been in a stronger position and that strength will only continue to grow. Volleyball on the Plains is on track, in fact, ahead of schedule.

“I’m grateful to Athletics Director John Cohen, Senior Associate AD Joy Vrbka, Executive Deputy AD Rich McGlynn and Deputy AD and SWA Djenane Paul for their continued support of Auburn Volleyball at the highest level. I’m also appreciative of the support staff who have made our success possible. Thank you to our student-athletes who believe in our project and perform on and off the court, and to their families who continue to raise such special young people. Finally, thank you to my wife Marcy and sons Jonathan and William for their unwavering support and tireless efforts.

“There is nothing like the Auburn Family. War Eagle!”

Crouch was named AVCA South Region coach of the year last season after leading Auburn to a 22-9 record which is the most wins for the program since 1998.

Crouch led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history and beat the No. 14 Creighton Bluejays for the program’s second-ever win in the tournament.

Crouch helped [autotag]Akasha Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Madison Scheer[/autotag] and [autotag]Kendal Kemp[/autotag] earn all-SEC honors. Kemp and Anderson picked up AVCA Region Awards additionally.

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Auburn Morning Rush: Gymnastics begins starting preparations, more Tigers win awards

Here’s some news you may have missed with the Auburn Morning Rush:

Happy Wednesday, Auburn fans.

While the football season may be over for the Tigers this holiday season, that doesn’t mean that Auburn sports as a whole have come to a halt. Quite the opposite, in fact — the gymnastics team is gearing up for its first action in months with its upcoming preview meet. On top of that, players on the volleyball and soccer teams have been recognized with awards and 41 Auburn athletes have signed a new NIL deal that will give them cash compensation from an Auburn collective.

Check out some stories you may have missed below with the Auburn Morning Rush:

Auburn Morning Rush: Jabari Smith Jr. heating up, Volleyball makes postseason

Catch up on all the Auburn news in the Auburn Morning Rush.

It was another busy weekend for Auburn athletics.

The football team may have come up short in the Iron Bowl, but several other programs had success. The basketball team beat Saint Louis 65-60 Sunday night in Neville Arena to improve to 7-0 on the season.

[autotag]Jabari Smith Jr.[/autotag] is starting to have success for the Houston Rockets and is on a tear.

In addition, the volleyball team qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history and saw three freshmen named to the Freshman All-SEC Team.

Read more about these stories down below in the Monday edition of the Auburn Morning Rush.

Auburn Morning Rush: Auburn sees great start to early signing period

Many programs on the Plains got better Wednesday thanks to the Early Signing Period.

Good morning Tiger fans, it is time for the Thursday edition of the Auburn Morning Rush.

In a time that is dominated by football and basketball, there were many programs around Auburn University that got better thanks to the early signing period.

The early signing period began on Wednesday, and many athletes made their commitments official. Today, we take a look at Women’s Basketball, Volleyball, and both Men’s and Women’s Golf teams.

Women’s Basketball signed two centers in this class, providing extra size for next season’s roster. Head coach Johnnie Harris is excited about the added height coming to the Plains.

“They both provide much-needed SEC size and skills that will help boost our program to the next level,” Harris said. “This is an instant impact class that we’ve needed to rebuild this program.”

Volleyball signed a great class as well, which includes two top-10 prospects from their respective states. As for Golf, the men’s team signs three players from the top 25, while women’s golf adds a valuable transfer from the Ivy League.

Get caught up on all of the latest signing day news in today’s Auburn Morning Rush.

Auburn Morning Rush: Malik Willis starts for Titans, Volleyball sweeps Texas A&M

Catch up on a busy weekend with the Auburn Morning Rush

What a weekend it was for the Auburn Tigers.

The football team may have come up just short Saturday night against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but there is undeniably an improved energy around the team since [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] took over the program.

The football wasn’t the only program with a big game over the weekend. [autotag]Malik Willis[/autotag], a former Tiger, made his second career start for the Tennessee Titins in primetime.

The volleyball team swept the Texas A&M Aggies to clinch their first 20-win season since 2010 and both the men’s and women’s tennis teams ended their fall season.

Read more about these stories in the Monday edition of the Auburn Morning Rush.

Auburn Morning Rush: OT target sets commitment date, Volleyball swept by Kentucky

Auburn football may have had a poor week on the field, but has a chance to get a massive win on the recruiting trail this week.

It was another hectic weekend on the Plains for the Auburn Tigers.

While the football team lost to Arkansas Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium, they will have a chance to pick up a key win on the recruiting trail this week.

[autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag], one of Auburn’s top targets along the offensive line, announced that he will be committing this week and Auburn is one of the six programs he will be deciding between.

The volleyball team traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to take on the No. 20 Wildcats and was unable to pick up a win in two games.

Read more about these stories and more in the Monday edition of the Auburn Morning Rush.