Vanderbilt Volleyball (5-8, 1-3 SEC) heads into the week riding the high of a historic milestone. After dropping their opening three conference matches to No. 2 Texas, No. 13 Texas A&M and Oklahoma, the Commodores earned the reinstated program’s first SEC victory in 45 years with a dominant sweep of Arkansas. The 25-17, 25-18, 25-18 triumph showcased what Vanderbilt is capable of when finding its rhythm, featuring three players with nine kills, a season-best 11 service aces and a .284 hitting percentage. Now, the ‘Dores look to prove their win over Arkansas was no fluke as they face another challenging road swing in the SEC, taking on Auburn in Neville Arena before traveling to Florida.
Neville Arena fortress
Auburn (12-3, 3-1 SEC) presents a formidable challenge, particularly at home. The Tigers are a perfect 6-0 at Neville Arena this season, making Friday’s matchup an uphill battle for Vanderbilt. Auburn’s home venue seats over 9,000 fans and brings spectators remarkably close to action — the furthest seat is just 43 feet from the court. That kind of atmosphere can energize the home team and test the visiting squads’ composure.
Head coach Brent Crouch has transformed Auburn into a competitive SEC program, bringing in five experienced transfers this season — including Virginia Tech’s Belle Patrick, who was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2024, and BYU’s Eden Bower, who helped the Cougars reach three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The Tigers’ rebuild has paid immediate dividends, as they’ve already surpassed last season’s win total of 14. Auburn’s strong start positions it as a legitimate contender in the middle tier of the SEC standings.
Breakthrough performance
The Arkansas sweep revealed what Vanderbilt Volleyball is truly capable of when all aspects of the game click simultaneously. Jackie Moore and Mia Soerensen were virtually unstoppable, hitting .500 and .533, respectively — season highs for both players. The offensive balance extended beyond just the kill leaders, as Kamryn Chaney, Moore and Soerensen each contributed nine kills in the most distributed attack the ‘Dores have displayed in conference play.
Perhaps the most impressive was Vanderbilt’s service game. The 11 aces against Arkansas marked a season high, led by Chaney’s four. The aggressive serving disrupted the Razorbacks’ offensive rhythm and held them to just a .134 hitting percentage. If the Commodores can replicate that level of serving pressure against Auburn and Florida, they’ll have a legitimate chance to compete.
Defensively, the emergence of Elli Kinney at libero proved a spark. Making her first appearance of the season in that role, Kinney recorded a team high of 16 digs. Combined with Reese Animashaun’s 13 digs, Vanderbilt demonstrated the back-row stability needed to succeed in SEC play. The ‘Dores also posted seven blocks — matching their output from the Oklahoma match — with Moore and Soerensen leading the charge with four each.
Gator territory
Sunday’s match at Florida (7-6, 2-2 SEC) offers Vanderbilt perhaps its best opportunity for another conference breakthrough. The Gators have been inconsistent this season, splitting their four conference matches. Florida is led offensively by Jordan Byrd, who has paced the team with 198 kills, while setter Alexis Stucky has orchestrated the attack with 459 assists this season.
Florida’s .500 conference record suggests it’s beatable, especially for a Vanderbilt team that just demonstrated it can compete at the highest level. The Commodores’ offensive weapons — Chaney, Moore and Animashaun — are capable of going toe-to-toe with Florida’s attack if Isabella Bareford can continue distributing efficiently. Bareford has recorded five 40-plus assist performances this season, demonstrating her ability to run a balanced offense.
This weekend presents an opportunity for Vanderbilt to prove it belongs in SEC volleyball. The ‘Dores have battled hard in each conference match despite the results, and another breakthrough victory would validate the program’s progress and build momentum for the remainder of the season.
Vanderbilt Volleyball will face Auburn on Friday at 6 p.m. CDT at Neville Arena before taking on Florida on Sunday at 12 p.m. CDT.
