Auburn Volleyball

[blakem 296]

Coach Crouch did a podcast with Andy Burcham to do a season recap. At the end of the podcast, he references us bringing in 6 new girls this season. I know of two freshman and three transfers, do we know where the other one are or if they just aren’t public yet?

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by blakem

[Kehnz 89]

On 12/21/2022 at 11:32 PM, Kehnz said:

It looks like Bella Bell Kentucky Middle Blocker could be transferring in.. She was followed by the official account (instagram) along with others a week ago. She’s being followed by mostly everybody. And on her instagram story tonight she commented under the AVCA post she said “On our way to doing big things. Better get ready for us 🤪”

Breaking: https://www.instagram.com/p/CnSFf8fpspo/?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=

National Champion.. That means we will have 4 MB but Swanson and Bell are both Graduate Seniors.. And Harmon going to be a Senior this year..

[Kehnz 89]

18 minutes ago, blakem said:

Coach Crouch did a podcast with Andy Burcham to do a season recap. At the end of the podcast, he references us bringing in 6 new girls this season. I know of two freshman and three transfers, do we know where the other one are or if they just aren’t public yet?

 

I’m under the impression that Bell was the last for this upcoming season. If their is another addition have have no information on who that could be.

[blakem 296]

Welp that’s all the transfers and we have 2 freshmen coming in. Crouch said 6 in the podcast so idk where another player would come from.

[Mikey 16,565]

4 hours ago, blakem said:

Welp that’s all the transfers and we have 2 freshmen coming in. Crouch said 6 in the podcast so idk where another player would come from.

10 hours ago, Kehnz said:

I'm under the impression that Bell was the last for this upcoming season. If their is another addition have have no information on who that could be.

If we have enough NIL money, we could be going to pay a great prospect to walk on. That's a way to tell the scholarship limit to jump in the lake.

[blakem 296]

Anyone know anything about our volleyball game at FSU today?

[blakem 296]

Anyone attend the spring match tonight and can give any insight?

[slot canyon 1,332]

Seems the spring games are very informal with no official starting lineup or scoring.  Just opportunity to play some outside competition.  

[VolleyMike 45]

The Spring matches are about working in new players and trying out different lineup combinations to figure out what the plan for Fall will be. I think the FSU match was also a way to get exposure to that venue since they will have a non-conference match there. 
 

My impressions thus far:

Kyla Swanson is a huge addition in the middle. She is quick to the block and has a powerful swing. She works hard and seems to be fitting in really well with the team. I think she will see a lot of court time this fall. 

Peyton Dunn is a solid setter and a good blocker on the right side. Setters take awhile to get a feel for their hitters and the offense. These Spring reps are really important for her to build up that rapport. Peyton also seems very well liked by the team, has a positive attitude, and is fitting in great. 

The libero position on the team seems very competitive right now. I could easily see Morton, Slaughter, Lanham, and even Handel getting playing time at that spot. Handel is the farthest away, but in my opinion has shown the greatest improvement since the season ended. Slaughter has a great attitude on the court and a second sense of where the play is going. I think she is probably the front runner, but really any of these players will be great in this position. 

On the pins they seem to be trying a lot of different options and every hitter is getting playing time in the back row. I’d say Crouch is trying to figure out who he can have play 6 rotations so they have back row attacking options. As a group, everyone is noticeably stronger and much more physical than they were in the Fall. The strength coaches have clearly been working these girls hard. Anderson has a broken finger on her left hand and that is limiting her blocking ability.  Zimmerman seems to have upped her game and is getting a lot of playing time on the outside thus far. She also has a fantastic back row attack that she showed at the end of the Troy match.  Crouch has tried using Kemp on the right side, but I’m not sure that is a viable option, so Zimmerman, Scheer, or Bella Bell could end up there in the Fall.  Tanton has also been getting a lot of playing time on the outside.  She is the strongest player on the team and plays with a ton of energy.

In the middle, I think Swanson and Harmon have stood out the most.  It will be interesting to see what happens when Bella Bell joins the team. Crouch will have a lot of options to work with this Fall. I expect all four middles will see time on the court as they all have their own unique strengths. Harmon has a very powerful swing. Kemp has height and can use that height to put up a big block. Swanson is quick, blocks well, and has a solid swing. 
 

Really looking forward to the Georgia Tech match. They were a top 10 program last year and will give us a better idea of where we stand right now. This Auburn team has a ton of potential and if you haven’t been watching then now is the time to jump on their bandwagon!

[VolleyMike 45]

Great match yesterday against Georgia Tech. Two different coaching philosophies on display.

Before the match coach Crouch met with the public to explain what they spent the Spring working on. Very insightful and had you not attended, you might be wondering why those lineups were so varied. This is why I think Crouch is such a good coach. He used the match to learn more about his entire team rather than focusing on points in a match that means nothing. The Georgia Tech coach played her starting offense the majority of the match and just wanted to win.

Crouch is really speeding up the offense from last year to allow the hitters to have more success. The timing between setter and hitter is critical and takes time to develop. Testing this in matches against big time opponents like Georgia Tech is just invaluable experience for this young team. 

Of particular interest was the play of Swanson and Harmon in the middle. Swanson did not run a slide at Illinois, but is developing it for use in the Fall. When her and the setter were in sync, that slide is beautiful and incredibly effective. I heard someone say Swanson is touching 10’6”, so having that as a weapon will be crazy good. Harmon was running several quicks out of the middle and her power on that hit makes that it almost an automatic point when she is in sync with the setter. 

Scheer was super effective out of the back row. If she can continue to develop her passing skills, she will be a very effective weapon wherever she stands on the court. 

Tanton is also hitting really well and is developing a jump serve that could be very effective if she can get some consistency going. 

Zimmerman continues to shine. Super impressed with her all around play. Appears to be hitting the ball harder and harder every time I see her play.

Dunn and Barrett are running pretty close in terms of setting ability. Barrett seems to have a little better connection with the hitters, but that is likely due to the amount of history she has with them. Both are doing great. Sinness is still out with an ankle/leg injury.  Really hoping some time off will allow her to heal and be back at full strength.

Morton took most of the libero duties against Georgia Tech and played very well. Lanham did play libero one set and apparently Slaughter has a concussion as she did not play. Hoping for a speedy recovery!  Handel did not get a libero rotation, but was solid as a DS and served extremely well.

[LPTiger 5,153]

5 hours ago, VolleyMike said:

Great match yesterday against Georgia Tech. Two different coaching philosophies on display.

Before the match coach Crouch met with the public to explain what they spent the Spring working on. Very insightful and had you not attended, you might be wondering why those lineups were so varied. This is why I think Crouch is such a good coach. He used the match to learn more about his entire team rather than focusing on points in a match that means nothing. The Georgia Tech coach played her starting offense the majority of the match and just wanted to win.

Crouch is really speeding up the offense from last year to allow the hitters to have more success. The timing between setter and hitter is critical and takes time to develop. Testing this in matches against big time opponents like Georgia Tech is just invaluable experience for this young team. 

Of particular interest was the play of Swanson and Harmon in the middle. Swanson did not run a slide at Illinois, but is developing it for use in the Fall. When her and the setter were in sync, that slide is beautiful and incredibly effective. I heard someone say Swanson is touching 10’6”, so having that as a weapon will be crazy good. Harmon was running several quicks out of the middle and her power on that hit makes that it almost an automatic point when she is in sync with the setter. 

Scheer was super effective out of the back row. If she can continue to develop her passing skills, she will be a very effective weapon wherever she stands on the court. 

Tanton is also hitting really well and is developing a jump serve that could be very effective if she can get some consistency going. 

Zimmerman continues to shine. Super impressed with her all around play. Appears to be hitting the ball harder and harder every time I see her play.

Dunn and Barrett are running pretty close in terms of setting ability. Barrett seems to have a little better connection with the hitters, but that is likely due to the amount of history she has with them. Both are doing great. Sinness is still out with an ankle/leg injury.  Really hoping some time off will allow her to heal and be back at full strength.

Morton took most of the libero duties against Georgia Tech and played very well. Lanham did play libero one set and apparently Slaughter has a concussion as she did not play. Hoping for a speedy recovery!  Handel did not get a libero rotation, but was solid as a DS and served extremely well.

I wish I knew half as much about volleyball as you.  The intricacies of each sport are amazing.  Even though I know next to nothing about VB, I'm hearing  good things about this coach.  You agree?

[VolleyMike 45]

35 minutes ago, LPTiger said:

I wish I knew half as much about volleyball as you.  The intricacies of each sport are amazing.  Even though I know next to nothing about VB, I'm hearing  good things about this coach.  You agree?

Yes. Crouch wants to bring home an SEC title in the next 2-3 years and make a serious run into the NCAA tourney. Time will tell, but he has all the pieces to make it happen. His staff is top notch too. Before the game yesterday he showed some of the stats they created where his staff literally broke down over 2,200 SEC swings to analyze the amount of time that elapsed between the time the setter released the ball until the hitter made contact. They did this to determine the optimal time to get the highest percentage of kills. This Fall, Auburn will be averaging 0.8 seconds. This is probably down from around 1.0-1.2 seconds last year. The amount of work required to figure that out is crazy and now every set and hit in practice has a timer on it. Speed wins at the elite level and Crouch is pushing his team to get there quickly.

Crouch is also a guy that clearly values team chemistry as his team gets along really, really, really well on and off the court. That chemistry is what allowed them to win matches last year they probably should have lost. 

I don’t think there is a better coach in the SEC.

[LPTiger 5,153]

1 minute ago, VolleyMike said:

Yes. Crouch wants to bring home an SEC title in the next 2-3 years and make a serious run into the NCAA tourney. Time will tell, but he has all the pieces to make it happen. His staff is top notch too. Before the game yesterday he showed some of the stats they created where his staff literally broke down over 2,200 SEC swings to analyze the amount of time that elapsed between the time the setter released the ball until the hitter made contact. They did this to determine the optimal time to get the highest percentage of kills. This Fall, Auburn will be averaging 0.8 seconds. This is probably down from around 1.0-1.2 seconds last year. The amount of work required to figure that out is crazy and now every set and hit in practice has a timer on it. Speed wins at the elite level and Crouch is pushing his team to get there quickly.

Crouch is also a guy that clearly values team chemistry as his team gets along really, really, really well on and off the court. That chemistry is what allowed them to win matches last year they probably should have lost. 

I don’t think there is a better coach in the SEC.

Data usually holds the answers...  It is awesome when we are competing across all sports.   Keep the posts coming.

[VolleyMike 45]

Nebraska just sold out 82,900 seats in Memorial Stadium in 48 hours for a volleyball match against UNO this coming August. What is it going to take to sell out Neville for an Auburn volleyball home match?

[AUBwins 10,068]

2 hours ago, VolleyMike said:

Nebraska just sold out 82,900 seats in Memorial Stadium in 48 hours for a volleyball match against UNO this coming August. What is it going to take to sell out Neville for an Auburn volleyball home match?

Pretty impressive.  They are having a double header, then followed by a stadium concert. So had a little help but the way Nebraska has taken to their volleyball program is incredible. 

[augolf1716 21,101]

3 hours ago, VolleyMike said:

Nebraska just sold out 82,900 seats in Memorial Stadium in 48 hours for a volleyball match against UNO this coming August. What is it going to take to sell out Neville for an Auburn volleyball home match?

I lived in Omaha NE. now much else to do j/k

NE. has great fans all around

[AUBwins 10,068]

35 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

I lived in Omaha NE. now much else to do j/k

NE. has great fans all around

Heard it's an excellent place to see a game as well

[augolf1716 21,101]

11 hours ago, AUBwins said:

Heard it's an excellent place to see a game as well

It is. Should be on a bucket list if your team is playing there

[Kehnz 89]

https://twitter.com/jeff_shearer/status/1658614773892763649?s=46&t=DWd-Ms2V6UiW8WKv8_tyPA

Pretty nice Interview by Coach Crouch… He talked about this summers world tour.. and Also about the Additions and added about a possible “6th” transfer coming in.. I wanted to know WHO because I haven’t really seen anything..

[tigerman1153 9]

Maybe someone in the know??? Why doesn't the SEC have a year end tourney for volleyball???? They do for every sport except VB.....it would create a lot of excitement for the sport...

[slot canyon 1,332]

12 hours ago, tigerman1153 said:

Maybe someone in the know??? Why doesn't the SEC have a year end tourney for volleyball???? They do for every sport except VB.....it would create a lot of excitement for the sport...

This from the SEC meeting last March:  BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 14, 2023) - The Presidents and Chancellors of the Southeastern Conference approved future regular season schedule and post-season championship formats for seven Southeastern Conference sports during a meeting at the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament in Nashville last week. The future formats were approved in preparation for the addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC beginning with the 2024-25 athletic year.

Volleyball

• Regular season: Format to be determined.

• SEC Volleyball Tournament:  A Conference tournament will be conducted for the first time since 2005.  All Conference teams will participate.  Still to be determined is whether the SEC Volleyball Tournament will resume following the 2024 season or following the 2025 season.

[Kehnz 89]

Breaking: The “6th” Transfer… From FIU 5’6 Libero  going into Junior year.

 

 

[tigerman1153 9]

Welcome '6th' to the Auburn Volleyball team, look forward to seeing you play...

[Kehnz 89]

Breaking: Coach Crouch has inked a 5 year extension up to the end of 2027

https://twitter.com/auburnvb/status/1669042960657436672?s=46&t=DWd-Ms2V6UiW8WKv8_tyPA

I for one believe in what BC is doing for the Volleyball program and cant wait to see what the future holds.

[augolf1716 21,101]

Just a follow up to Kehnz post

 

Crouch inks five-year extension with Auburn Volleyball

 

AUBURN, Ala. – Following one of the most successful seasons in Auburn Volleyball history, head coach Brent Crouch has signed a new five-year extension the university announced Wednesday, keeping him on the Plains 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!"
 
The 2022 AVCA South Region coach of the year has lifted the Tigers to sights unseen in more than a decade on the plane. In just three short years, Crouch has led Auburn to a 35-32 record, including a 22-9 mark in 2022, the most wins in the 25-point rally-scoring era and the most since 1998.
 
Entering the 2023 campaign, Crouch holds a career coaching record of 130-123.
 
Under Crouch's leadership, the Tigers also claimed its second berth to the NCAA Tournament in program history. Unsatisfied with simply making the big dance, the Orange and Blue took down host and No. 14 Creighton for its first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2017 and its second victory in the NCAA Tournament in Auburn history.
 
With a keen eye for development, Crouch guided Akasha Anderson, Madison Scheer and Kendal Kemp to All-Conference honors. Kemp and Anderson also picked up AVCA Region awards.
 
Crouch's 2022 squad broke records for the best start in program history (14-0), the best start to SEC play (3-0), most block assists in a single season (520), total blocks (312.0), most SEC weekly awards in a season (10) and tied for the most blocks in a four-set match (17 vs. Troy).