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Oct. 27, 2011

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Auburn at Ole Miss | Friday, 7 p.m. CT Gillom Sports Center | Oxford, Miss.

GameTracker | Live Video | Match Notes

Auburn at Alabama | Sunday, 1:30 p.m. CT Foster Auditorium | Tuscaloosa, Ala.

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AUBURN - The Auburn Tigers (9-13, 3-9 SEC) begin the season's stretch run with their next-to-last road trip of the year this weekend as they make their last two SEC West visits of the year. The Tigers will travel to Ole Miss on Friday night for a 7 p.m. match against the Rebels, then they will head to Tuscaloosa for a Sunday showdown with archrival Alabama; first serve is set for 1:30 p.m.

The Tigers look to get back on the winning track after dropping their last six matches in conference play. Two of Auburn's three league wins this season have come against the Rebels and Crimson Tide in late September. The Tigers defeated both by 3-0 margins in the opening weekend of home SEC play.

Auburn enters the week led offensively by senior Kelly Fidero, who has 240 kills (3.04/set) on the season, ranking just outside the SEC's top 10. In Southeastern Conference play, Fidero ranks eighth in the league in kills with 154 (3.50/set). Sophomore Camila Jersonsky ranks third in the SEC with a .353 hitting percentage for the year.

Junior Sarah Bullock anchors the other side of the floor with 127 kills (2.89/set) and 137 digs (3.11/set) in SEC play, leading the team in digs. Sophomore Chelsea Wintzinger has emerged as the team's primary setter, averaging 9.14 assists/set in SEC play to rank 7th in the league; she had a career-high 50 assists at Mississippi State on Oct. 9.

Sophomore Courtney McDonald has been impressive of late, recording the Tigers' top hitting percentage in four of the last six matches, including a .632 clip (12-0-19) in Sunday's narrow loss to No. 24 Kentucky.

Live video for Friday's match will be available through OleMissSports.com, and Sunday's match can be viewed via live video from RollTide.com. Live stats for both matches are available at AuburnTigers.com, and fans can follow @AUVolleyball on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend.

SCOUTING THE REBELS
Ole Miss enters the weekend at 6-14 overall (2-10 SEC), but the Rebels earned a five-set victory over SEC West-leading LSU last Sunday. Regina Thomas leads the Rebel attack with an SEC-best .382 hitting percentage and is the top blocker with 83 blocks (1.05/set) while Allegra Wells averages 2.58 kills/set. Amanda Philpot is the team's primary setter, averaging 8.48 assists/set, and Morgan Springer leads the back row with 4.13 digs/set. The Rebels hit .184 as a team with 11.9 kills/set.

OLE MISS SERIES NOTES
Ole Miss holds a 23-21 advantage in the all-time series that dates to 1987. The Tigers dominated the series prior to 2000, winning 16 of 22 matches from 1987-99. But Ole Miss has controlled the recent history, taking 17 of the last 21. The Rebels won both matches during the 2010 season before Auburn earned a 3-0 victory in the team's first meeting of the season.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama enters the weekend with a 10-13 overall mark (3-9 SEC), having dropped six of their last seven outings in conference play. The Tide were swept in their last three league outings by Florida, LSU and Arkansas, but they have a 6-4 record at home this season. Kayla Fitterer leads the Alabama attack with 310 kills (4.25/set), ranking third in the SEC, and Leigh Moyer has the team's top hitting percentage at .304. Three players - Fitterer, Andrea McQuaid and Cristina Arenas - have 20+ service aces on the year, and the Tide average 15.5 digs/set to rank fourth in the league.

ALABAMA SERIES NOTES
With their win in the season's first meeting on Sept. 23, the Tigers took a 23-22 lead in the all-time series (since Auburn revived volleyball in 1986). While Alabama dominated the series since 2000, taking 18 of 19 decisions from 2000-09, the Tigers have won the last four meetings, including a thrilling, come-from-behind win in Tuscaloosa late last season and a sweep in Auburn for the Tigers' first SEC win of 2011.

A LOOK AHEAD
Auburn will return home to open the month of November with a pair of matches against SEC West rivals. The LSU Tigers visit on Friday, Nov. 4, for the "All Auburn, All Orange" match, set for a 7 p.m. first serve. On Sunday, Nov. 6, the Tigers will play host to the Arkansas Razorbacks at 1:30 p.m. Admission is free to both matches at the Student Activities Center.

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