Good morning. Head volleyball coach Brent Crouch sits down with Andy Burcham to discuss the team's berth into the NCAA Tournament. Seventh-seeded Auburn will face Western Michigan in round one on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 3 p.m. CT, in Louisville, Kentucky. 

The match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Should the Tigers advance, they will match up against the winner of No. 7 Louisville and Wright State on Friday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m. CT. 

What else can you find mixed into today’s Brew?

🏐 A closer look at Coach Crouch’s thoughts on Wednesday’s match
🏀 A Talking Tigers Podcast episode with a famous former Lady Tiger
🐅 And much, much more!

🎥 SELECTION CELEBRATION

For the first time in program history, Auburn Volleyball has earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons!

Go behind the scenes with the team and Coach Brent Crouch as the Tigers learn who they’re matched up with against—only on WarEagle+ today.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼  Luck Be a Lady. Former Auburn Lady Tiger and current assistant coach on the Las Vegas Aces, Charlene Thomas-Swinson, is featured in a recent episode of the Talking Tigers Podcast.

Charlene Thomas came to Auburn from Washington, D.C. By the time her playing career was over, the Lady Tigers had become one of the top programs in the nation under head coach Joe Ciampi. Since her playing career ended, Thomas has been on a coaching journey. It included stops at St. John's and Tulsa as head coach. She has worked at her alma mater, Florida, and LSU as an assistant. For the past two seasons, she has served on the staff of the two-time defending WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces.

She married former Auburn men's basketball player Aaron Swinson. Aaron is a coach on the collegiate level.

Listen to the whole podcast to hear Thomas-Swinson share some stories from coaching, her thoughts on the rise of professional sports in Las Vegas and how volleyball was her first love.

🔼 Shall We Dance? Though volleyball coach Brent Crouch has led teams to the NCAA tournament three times before (last year with Auburn and two times with his former USC squads), he still knows what a huge deal this is.

It’s a great honor,” Crouch told Andy Burcham during the “This Week in Auburn Volleyball” podcast. “It was a step forward for the program, and we’re looking forward to getting started.”

For the first time in program history, Auburn Volleyball has earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. The No. 7 seeded Tigers will face Western Michigan on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 3 p.m. CT in round one in the Louisville Regional.
 
Should Auburn advance to round two, the Tigers will face the winner of No. 7 Louisville and Wright State on Friday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. CT.

When asked about his confidence in the momentum his team has right now, Crouch said:

“The sweep against LSU, the sweep against Alabama and then the 17-15 loss to the No. 9 team Arkansas, we played well and really had some chances to win that. Those last three matches are how we want to be playing, and we’re peaking at the right time. It’s correlated with the fact that we’ve got our whole team available right now. We haven’t had everybody available since the first match of the year.”

Crouch also talked about the importance of routines, noting that the team will get the chance to practice two times with a light one before the match, which is exactly what they’ve been doing.

He also said that the KFC Yum! Center venue shouldn’t be daunting to his crew despite its approximately 22,000-seat capacity, as they’ve played in arenas like that before.

“We’re raring to go, and I like our chances.”

Listen to the entire podcast to hear more about Coach Crouch’s thoughts on The Big Dance.

Some more Brew headlines for your enjoyment 👇🏼

📹  Activate WarEagle+ to go behind the scenes of Sunday’s selection show and get the players’ reactions to getting back-to-back invitations to The Big Dance.

🏐 NCAA tickets in Louisville, Kentucky, are on sale!

🏈 Elijah McAllister thanks fans and the program in a recent poignant tweet.

👀 Check out the Cyber Week of deals on The Plains.

🦌 BIG BUCK CHALLENGE

Alabama is known for its deep-rooted traditions, and this challenge combines two beloved pastimes. As dedicated fans of Auburn and Alabama, you can make memories both in the great outdoors and at the game.

Join the Big Buck Challenge presented by Outdoor Alabama, The Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, and upload a photo of you and your harvested buck from this season or seasons past, and you might just snag two tickets to the 2024 Alabama vs. Auburn basketball game, played right at your favorite school's location.

🤔 TIGER TRIVIA

We’ll Give You a Wide Berth. With The Big Dance approaching, volleyball is top of mind, which is why today’s trivia will be about the NCAA Tournament and Auburn history.

Today’s question—how many berths into the tournament has the Auburn volleyball program received in total?

Think you know the answer? Scroll down to the bottom to find out!

🐅 ONE BIG THING

Coach J’s Way. Coach J’s Chat Room is back in the Neville Arena Scholarship Terrace, with special guests, of course. Coach always shoots straight from the hip, which is what makes these luncheons so educational and entertaining.

📬 FORWARDED BY A FRIEND

Did someone send you the Bodda Getta Daily Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every weekday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

📅 THE WEEK AHEAD

Tuesday 11/28

(No Activities Scheduled)

Wednesday 11/29

🌊 Swimming & Diving @ ISCA

🏊🏻‍♀️ Swimming & Diving @ USA Diving Winter Nationals

🌊 Swimming & Diving vs. Auburn Long Course Invitational @ 10 a.m. CT

🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Virginia Tech - ACC/SEC Challenge @ 8:15 p.m. CT on ESPN2 | Live Stats | Tickets

Thursday 11/30

🌊 Swimming & Diving @ ISCA

🏊🏻‍♀️ Swimming & Diving @ USA Diving Winter Nationals

🏐 Volleyball NCAA Tournament - time TBA | Live Stats

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Clemson @ 8 p.m. CT on SECN+ 100.3 | Live Stats | Tickets

Friday 12/1

(No Activities Scheduled)

Saturday 12/2

(No Activities Scheduled)

Sunday 12/3

(No Activities Scheduled)

🐅 Click here to view the entire Auburn Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 3!

This year marks the third tournament berth for Auburn. Prior to last season, the Tigers were selected to the 2010 tournament, where Auburn knocked off Missouri State, 3-0 (25-15, 26-24, 27-25), before falling to then-No. 3 Nebraska in Lincoln.

War Eagle!

🐅 Have a great Tuesday, y’all!