Auburn Tigers Volleyball

Auburn Tigers Volleyball has been under the direction of head coach Laura Farina for the past four seasons. In that time the team has been unable to make an appearance in any major tournament or place high in the SEC.

The Lady Tigers had a disappointing season in 2006 ending in last place in the SEC West, with a 13-18. Auburn Volleyball is looking to both new and old players to help the team improve on the court in 2007.

Coach Farina has signed six new players to the team this year and is expecting a lot from the incoming girls. Newcomer Milena Bukinac, who was team captain for the top junior team Novi Sad in Serbia, joins the team this year as outside hitter. The incoming freshman is strong at both hitting and passing the ball and has the added advantage vast experience in the competitive volleyball arena.

Alyssa Davis, who the Tigers have been eyeing for the past two years, is another addition who is expected to excel on the court. The 6’4” Davis broke blocking records for her Florida high school in addition to leading her team in blocks and kills.

Senior outside hitter Jelena Sekulic, who broke Auburn’s record for digs last season, is expected to be an important player in her last year with the Tigers. Fellow senior Jacob, who is a top ranker in the Auburn record book, is also expected to help the Tigers out with her strong blocks and attacks. Middle blocker Whitney Jacob played hard, starting in all thirty-one games and setting a personal career-best of thirty-one attacks in the match against South Carolina.

Although the Lady Tigers hope the addition of new players will increase their chances for a winning season, it is likely that the ladies will need a year of experience before they will be able to really prove themselves on the court.

Some of the Lady Tigers have been breaking records and making headlines lately for their accomplishments on and off the court. Senior Academic All-American Rachel Shanks was just named SEC Volleyball Scholar Athlete of the year, the first Auburn Tigers volleyball player to receive the title. Shanks was also named to the Academic All-American third team by ESPN.

Auburn Tigers volleyball recently added Corina Beyer, a transfer student from Washington State, to the team. Sophomore Beyer, who ranked sixth in the Pac-10 in assists and was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team in 2006, is expected to be an asset as setter this season.

The staff of the Lady Tigers will also have a new face this year after Wade Benson, former head coach at Eastern Washington, joins as assistant coach replacing Liz Underwood. Benson was extremely successful at his former school, scoring three Big Sky Conference titles and earning consecutive appearances in the tournament each year that he was head coach.

Realistically, Auburn Tigers Volleyball fans should expect another season with more losses than wins. However, things look to turn up in 2008.

Don't let that get you down though. Show the Auburn Tigers you're behind them with Merchandise and Apparel, Tickets, and Baseball Caps.

2007 Auburn Tigers Volleyball Schedule:

August 24 Troy 7:00 pm Home

August 25 Nicholls State 12 noon Home

Tennessee State 7:00 pm Home

August 28 Georgia State 4:30 pm Away

August 31 Denver 8:30 pm Away

September 1 Wichita State 11:00 am Home

DePaul 6:00 pm Home

September 4 Kennesaw State 7:00 pm Home

September 7 Louisiana Tech 12 noon Home

Texas-San Antonio 7:00 pm Away

September 08 Texas A&M San 3:30 pm Home

September 14 South Carolina 6:00 pm Away

September 16 Florida 12:30 pm Away

September 21 Tennessee 7:00 pm Home

September 23 Kentucky 1:30 pm Home

September 28 LSU 7:00 pm Home

September 30 Mississippi 1:30 pm Home

October 3 Georgia 6:00 pm Away

October 7 Arkansas 1:30 pm Away

October 12 Alabama 7:00 pm Home

October 14 Mississippi State 1:30 pm Away

October 19 Florida 7:00 pm Home

October 21 South Carolina 1:30 pm Home

October 26 Kentucky 6:00 pm Away

October 28 Tennessee 12:30 pm Away

November 2 Mississippi State 7:00 pm Home

November 4 Alabama 1:30 pm Away

November 7 Georgia 7:00 pm Home

November 9 Arkansas 7:00 pm Home

November 18 LSU 1:30 pm Away

2007 Auburn Tigers Volleyball Roster:

1 Jelena Sekulic 5’9” OH Senior Resnik-Beograd, Serbia

2 Kaitlin Simon 5’4” L/DS Sophomore Auburn, Alabama

3 Jessica Glover 5’10” OH Junior Sylvania, Ohio

4 Alyssa Davis 6’4” MB Freshman Oakland Park, Florida

5 Rachel Shanks 5’10” OH Senior Madison, Alabama

6 Brooke Smith 5’11” OH Freshman Sugarland, Texas

7 Lauren Mellor 5’11” MB Freshman Colfax, Washington

8 Sara Shanks 5’10” OH Senior Madison, Alabama

9 Liz Crouch 5’6” DS Freshman Metairie, Louisiana

10 Brianna Johnson 6’0” MB Freshman Ellenwood, Georgia

11 Nicki Gerig 5’7” S Freshman Towanda, Illinois

12 Emily Knuth 5’10” OH Sophomore St. Joseph, Michigan

13 Whitney Jacob 5’11” MB Senior Coppell, Texas

14 Marissa Fields 5’11” OH Junior Sylvania, Ohio

15 Milena Bukinac 5’11” OH Freshman Veternik, Serbia

16 Corina Beyer 5’9” S Sophomore Bayview, Idaho

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