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Sept. 8, 2011

Tournament Notes | Tournament Central | GameTracker

AUBURN - The Auburn Tigers (5-2) wrap up non-conference play this weekend as they compete in the Hurricane Invitational, hosted by the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla. Auburn will face the host Hurricanes (6-0) at 6 p.m. CT Friday before taking on the No. 18-ranked Oklahoma Sooners (7-1) at 9 a.m. and Florida A&M (0-4) at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Live stats for all three matches will be available via GameTracker at AuburnTigers.com, and @AUVolleyball on Twitter will have live updates throughout the weekend.

Auburn is coming off a strong week of play last week, going 4-1 in one home match and a four-match weekend at Middle Tennessee's Blue Raider Bash. The Tigers defeated Alabama A&M, FIU, Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee before falling to Missouri on Sunday.

It will not be an easy task for the Tigers this weekend with Oklahoma ranked 18th in the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll and the host Hurricanes also receiving votes, the first team out of the top 25.

SCOUTING MIAMI
The Miami Hurricanes are undefeated at 6-0 after sweeping through their first two tournaments. UMiami defeated Jacksonville State (head coach Rick Nold's former squad), Louisiana-Lafayette and LSU in the LSU Tiger Classic, then traveled to the West Coast where they swept UC-Santa Barbara, Georgia and Pepperdine in the Pepperdine Asics Classic.

Alex Johnson leads the Hurricane offense with a .322 hitting percentage, putting down 77 kills (3.67/set) on 183 attacks with just 18 errors. She has also recorded 17 blocks on the year, which ranks third on the team. Christine Williamson has 57 kills (2.71/set) to rank second on the squad. Defensively, the `Canes are led by Ryan Shaffer with 106 digs (5.05/set), while Lane Carico - the current ACC Player of the Week - has 88 (4.19/set) and Johnson has 69 (3.29/set). Emani Sims and Nrithya Sundararaman each have 22 blocks on the year.

As a team, Miami hits .261 and is averaging 13.9 kills per set. They are holding opponents to a .190 hitting percentage.

SCOUTING NO. 18 OKLAHOMA
The Oklahoma Sooners are 7-1 overall and ranked 18th in the latest AVCA Coaches' Top 25. OU won its first four matches against SMU, Oral Roberts, Missouri State and then-No. 15 Colorado State - only dropping one set - before falling to Cincinnati 3-1 on Sept. 2. The Sooners have since won three straight, including a 3-1 win over SEC rival Arkansas on Tuesday.

Oklahoma is led offensively by Suzy Boulavsky (3.26 kills/set; .271 hit pct.) and Sallie McLaurin (2.74 kills/set; .368 hit pct.), who have combined to account for more than 42% of the Sooners' points so far this season. In addition to their offense, they are the team's top blockers with 21 and 36 blocks, respectively. Brianne Barker is a weapon at setter with 275 assists (10.19/set) and 38 kills this season to go along with 77 digs. The Sooners hit .233 as a team and are holding opponents to a paltry .125 attack percentage.

SCOUTING FLORIDA A&M
Florida A&M is 0-4 so far in the 2011 season, dropping matches to Kansas, Georgia and Liberty at the Bulldog Invitational in Athens, Ga., before dropping a 3-1 decision to Jacksonville on Tuesday.

The Rattlers are hitting .165 as a team with opponents swinging at a .276 clip. Setter Diana Gonzales has the team's top hitting percentage at .471 with eight kills on just 17 attacks with no errors; she is also averaging 8.46 assists/set. Katherine Huanec leads the team in kills with 41 (3.15/set) while Karol Marquez has a team-high 57 digs (4.38/set).

CAMILA COMES BACK
Fresh off a two-month whirlwind tour of the world with the Argentinian Senior National Team, sophomore Camila Jersonsky made a strong return to the Auburn team with a stellar weekend at the Blue Raider Bash. In four matches, the Buenos Aires native hit for a .493 percentage, amassing 37 kills (2.31/set) on 69 attacks with just three errors. She also totaled 10 blocks on the weekend, earning a spot on the Blue Raider Bash All-Tournament Team. Her .493 hitting percentage led the Southeastern Conference after two weeks of play.

Kelly Fidero was also named to the Blue Raider Bash All-Tournament Team as she recorded double-digit kills in all four matches, including a season-high 14 against FIU.

DOUBLING DOWN WITH THE TIGERS
Sophomore Vesela Zapryanova had her first career double-double in the Tigers' four-set victory over Austin Peay on Sept. 3, collecting 12 kills and 13 digs - both career-highs - in the winning effort. She also hit for a .455 percentage, second only to Camila Jersonsky's incredible .632 average in the match.

Zapryanova was one of three Tigers to record a double-double at the Blue Raider Bash. Sarah Bullock (10 kills, 12 digs) and Chelsea Wintzinger (29 assists, 13 digs) pulled off the feat against FIU on Sept. 2, becoming the first Auburn duo to post a double-double in the same match since Bullock and Katherine Culwell did so against then-No. 24 Kentucky last year.

A LOOK AHEAD
Auburn kicks off Southeastern Conference play next weekend with a road trip to face two of the Eastern Division's top teams. The Tigers open league action Friday, Sept. 16, against the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, Ky., then travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Sunday, Sept. 18.

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