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Oct. 13, 2011

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Auburn at Arkansas | Friday, 7 p.m. CT Barnhill Arena | Fayetteville, Ark.

Live Stats | Live Video | Match Notes

Auburn at LSU | Sunday, 1 p.m. CT | TV: Cox Sports Pete Maravich Assembly Center | Baton Rouge, La.

Live Stats | Match Notes

AUBURN - The Auburn volleyball team (9-9, 3-5 SEC) completes its first circuit through the Southeastern Conference this weekend as the Tigers face a pair of critical matches against SEC Western Division Opponents. Auburn travels to Arkansas for a 7 p.m. Friday match, then heads to Baton Rouge to face LSU at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Links to live stats for both matches are available at the top of this page. In addition, ArkansasRazorbacks.com will have live video of Friday's match (for a fee), and fans can follow @AUVolleyball on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend.

Cox Sports Television will have the broadcast of Sunday's match at LSU, with Lyn Rollins and Garrett Walvoord on the call. CST is available primarily in Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas, with limited availability in some areas of Mississippi, Florida and Virginia.

The Tigers have dropped three out of their last four matches and look to improve on their 1-5 record on opponents' home floors. Auburn enters the week led offensively by senior Kelly Fidero, who has 188 kills (3.03/set) on the season, ranking 11th in the SEC. In Southeastern Conference play, Fidero ranks fourth in the league in kills with 102 (3.78/set) and just outside the top 10 in hitting percentage at .318.

Camila Jersonsky ranks second in the SEC with a .364 hitting percentage for the year. Sarah Bullock anchors the other side of the floor with 83 kills (3.07/set) and 88 digs (3.26/set) in SEC play, ranking 10th in the league in digs. Chelsea Wintzinger has emerged as the team's primary setter, averaging 9.33 assists/set in SEC play to rank 6th in the league; she had a career-high 50 assists at Mississippi State on Sunday.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS
The Arkansas Razorbacks (11-7, 3-4 SEC) enter the weekend after a tough four-match stretch that included three opponents currently ranked in the nation's top 25. Arkansas is hitting .230 as a team and has been stingy defensively, holding opponents to a .176 attack percentage, which ranks third in the SEC.

Kelli Stepanovich leads the Razorbacks' offensive attack with 218 kills (3.41/set) while hitting at a .234 clip. Jasmine Norton has 186 kills (2.95/set), and Roslandy Acosta contributes 2.06/set. Raymariely Santos ranks sixth in the SEC with 9.62 assists/set. At the net, the Razorbacks are one of the best in the league, ranking third in the SEC with 2.45 blocks/set. Janeliss Torres has 42 blocks (0.95/set) to lead the way, while Stepanovich has contributed 47 blocks (0.73/set), including a strong performance last weekend that netted her SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The two teams have had nine common opponents so far this year with quite similar results, resulting in a 4-5 record for each. Both teams earned wins over Middle Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina, and both fell to Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky. Arkansas lost to Ole Miss and beat Mississippi State, while Auburn downed the Rebels and fell to the Bulldogs.

ARKANSAS SERIES NOTES
Arkansas holds a commanding 29-6 lead in the all-time series with Auburn, including a 14-3 mark in matches played in Fayetteville. However, Auburn has won three out of the last four matches, including a sweep of both meetings during the 2010 season. This has been one of the most closely contested rivalries in the SEC; four of the last five matches have gone the full five sets.

SCOUTING LSU
The LSU Tigers (11-6, 4-3) are the six-time defending Western Division champions and currently lead the SEC West heading into the weekend. Like Arkansas and Auburn, the Tigers enter the weekend having dropped three out of their last four matches, including a 3-0 sweep at the hands of No. 13 Florida on Sunday.

LSU hits .227 as a team and holds opponents to a paltry .158 hitting percentage, the best number in the SEC. The Tigers are also strong in the service game with 99 aces (1.57/set) to rank second in the SEC, and LSU averages 15.63 digs/set to rank third in the league. LSU leads the league in digs/set in conference matches, averaging 16.88.

Madie Jones paces the LSU offense with 207 kills (3.34/set) and a .293 hitting percentage; she averages 3.77 kills/set in SEC play. Right with her is Desiree Elliott, who contributes 3.47 kills/set and hits .264. Elliott also ranks second on the team with 48 blocks (0.84/set). Michele Williams leads the Tigers in blocks with 61 (1.09/set) and also averages 2.93 kills/set. Malorie Pardo is one of the top setters in the SEC, averaging 11.39 assists/set, and Meghan Mannari is the team leader in digs (4.43/set) and service aces (25).

LSU SERIES NOTES
LSU leads the all-time series with Auburn by a 33-11 margin, dating back to 1986. The purple & gold Tigers have dominated the series in recent years, winning the last 19 meetings between the schools dating back to the 2001 season. Auburn's last victory over LSU came on Nov. 5, 2000, as Auburn took a 3-1 win in Baton Rouge. Auburn is 4-18 all-time in matches played in Baton Rouge.

A LOOK AHEAD
Auburn opens up the second half of SEC play as it returns home to face two nationally ranked opponents from the SEC Eastern Division next weekend. The Tigers welcome No. 18-ranked Tennessee to the Plains for a 7 p.m. match Friday, Oct. 21. On Sunday, No. 25-ranked Kentucky visits Auburn for a 1:30 p.m. first serve. Both matches will be played at the Student Activities Center, and admission is free.

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