Tag: Brent Crouch

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.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=702301439]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=702301948]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Daniel on Twitter @DanielJLocke

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=702301439]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Daniel on Twitter @DanielJLocke

Auburn volleyball cancels spring season

Auburn volleyball has cancelled its spring season, the school announceed Friday afternoon. 

Auburn volleyball has canceled its spring season, the school announced Friday afternoon.

Due to opt-outs and injuries, Auburn will not be able to meet the requirements for total participants and front-row players required to play, the school said.

Auburn went 0-8 in its matches in the fall and was scheduled to restart the season at the end of January.

“Our guiding mission is to provide for the safety and well-being of our student-athletes and to develop them as Auburn women on and off the court,” head coach Brent Crouch said in a statement. “Discontinuing play at this time is consistent with this mission. We are grateful for the work of Auburn University and the SEC, which allowed us to play a fall season.”

The SEC scheduled eight matches against four opponents for each team in the fall, with plans to re-start the season in the spring giving teams the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament, which was moved to the spring.

The SEC scheduled eight matches in the fall and then would play 16 more matches starting Jan. 30, to allow teams to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Auburn and Vanderbilt have both announced they will not be playing in the spring.

“While it is disappointing that the circumstances do not allow us to participate in the spring volleyball season, the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes will always be our top priority,” Auburn athletics director Allen Greene said.