Volleyball Match Notes: Florida & Georgia
11/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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TIDE WELCOMES PAIR OF SEC EAST FOES
The Alabama volleyball team closes out its regular season schedule with four straight home contests beginning with a pair of important matches this weekend against SEC Eastern division foes Florida (Friday) and Georgia (Sunday). The Gators, ranked 3rd nationally, are the second Top 5 team that Bama has played this year (Nebraska was #4).
SCOUTING REPORT
Florida... The Gators are one of the nation's top teams (No. 3) and are riding a current 18 match win streak. UF is 22-1 overall, with only loss coming to then #1 USC, and 12-0 in SEC play.
Georgia... The Bulldogs come into the weekend's action with a 15-12 overall mark and a 5-7 record in the SEC. UGA snapped a five-match losing skid with a win over Tennessee last Friday night and will visit Auburn this Friday before facing the Tide on Sunday.
INSIDE THE SERIES...
Florida owns an 18-5 lead in the all-time series with the Tide. Bama captured the first five meetings, but has dropped the last 18 matchups and have only one two games in the last decade... Alabama owns a slight 16-12 edge over Georgia in their series with UA having earned four consecutive wins.
HOME SWEET HOME
For the past two seasons, Alabama has enjoyed a huge home court advantage playing in the "CAVE" (Coleman Auxiliary Volleyball Extension). The Tide is 6-3 this season at home, improving to 23-8 in the venues third season as the home of Crimson Tide Volleyball. The fans have also come out in record numbers as Bama has established season attendance marks the past two seasons.
BAMA AGAINST THE SEC EAST
Alabama owns a 43-75 all-time mark against the all of the teams in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. Here's the breakdown of the Tide against the SEC East —
Florida: 5-18 South Carolina: 10-10
Georgia: 16-12 Tennessee: 6-19
Kentucky: 5-15
TIDE RIDING RADIO WAVES
Tide fans will have the chance to follow the Alabama on radio the next three matches. The Florida match is being carried by WRUF-AM 850 in Gainesville but also on the web at: http://www.am850.com/. UA's matches with Georgia (Nov. 10) and Auburn (Nov. 13) are being carried by New Rock 90.7 (WVUA) in Tuscaloosa and may be available online at: http://www.newrock907.com/.
RUNNIN' DOWN THE DREAM
With Alabama having reached the 500-win plateau (vs Miss. State) as a team, attention turned to UA coach Judy Green and her quest to earn her 500th career coaching victory. Green (who began her coaching career with a successful decade at Montevallo) earned the historic win on Oct. 22 as the Tide handed Auburn a 3-2 loss down on the Plains. Green reached another milestone with Bama's victory over Ole Miss on Oct. 4 as it marked the 100th Tide win in her seven-year tenure (currently 105-115 all-time at UA).
TIDE VERSUS THE SEC WEST
Alabama owns a 104-85 all-time mark against all of the teams in the SEC Western Division. Here's the breakdown of the Tide against the SEC West:
Arkansas: 2-17 Ole Miss: 31-12
Auburn: 28-25 Miss State: 27-12
LSU: 16-19
MILESTONE WEEKEND
On the weekend of Oct. 18-20, a pair of Alabama sophomores reached some impressive statistical milestones. In the Tide's loss to Carolina, setter Kenna Milner became just the 7th setter in Bama history to record 1,000 asssists in her career. Against Kentucky, outside hitter Erin Heffner pounded out a career-high 27 kills to climb into the Top Ten on UA's career kill list in just her second season at the Capstone.
ALABAMA V'BALL EARNS 500th WIN
On October 6th, the Crimson Tide defeated Mississippi State 3-1 marking the 500th win in Alabama volleyball history. Bama is now 504-353 all-time.
A LONG & WINDING ROAD
Following their home tournament on Sept. 13-14, the Crimson Tide embarked on a month-long stretch that kept them away from the friendly confines of the "CAVE" for 11 of 12 matches including a stretch of seven straight matches in which the Tide posted an impressive 5-2 record.
HOME STATE SUCCESS
With its win over Auburn, Alabama has now posted 12 straight wins over in-state opponents. UA has not lost to a state squad since a 3-2 decision to AU in 1999. Bama's last loss to a in-state team other than the Tigers was in 1994 vs UAB.
UA HONOR ROLL
The list of honors received by Tide players this year...
ERIN HEFFNER —
SEC Player of the Week (9/30-10/6)
Tournament MVP (Barker GMC Classic)
All-Tournament (Crimson Tide Invitational)
All-Tournament (Georgia Tech Invitational)
ERIN PRICE —
All-Tournament (Barker GMC Classic)
JENNIFER BIBBER —
All-Tournament (Barker GMC Classic)
KENNA MILNER —
All-Tournament (Crimson Tide Invitational)
KORY TULL —
All-Tournament (Georgia Tech Invitational)
ACES FLYING HIGH FOR BAMA
The Crimson Tide is 2nd in the SEC and ranks 15th in the country for service aces with an average of 2.33 per game. Alabama notched double-digit aces in 6 of the first 7 matches. Last season, UA was one of the SEC's top servers but never tallied more than back-to-back double-digit performances. In fact, the Tide had only 9 matches with 10+ aces for the entire year. Bama already has 10 double-figure ace performances in 2002. UA served up a season-best 18 points vs Illinois State, marking the most since a 19-ace performance versus Mississippi State on Nov. 23, 1990.
HEFFNER NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the second time in her career, UA sophomore Erin Heffner was named the SEC Volleyball Player of the Week (Sept. 30-Oct.6). Heffner led Bama to a 2-0 record and finished with back-to-back 20+ kill outings and an astounding 6.29 kills per game average with a .473 hitting percentage.
SOUTH REGION RANKINGS
For the third consecutive season, the Alabama volleyball team has earned a South Region ranking from the AVCA. Seven SEC teams are listed including the top five squads. Here's how the recent poll looks:
1. Florida
2. South Carolina
3. Arkansas
4. ALABAMA
5. LSU
6. Western Kentucky
7. New Mexico State
8. Tennessee
9. Georgia
10. College of Charleston
ONE TOUGH SLATE
From the beginning UA's 2002 schedule looked challenging, but now after weeks of play it has lived up to its billing. The 8 teams that have defeated the Tide currently own a 168-46 (.785) overall record. Five of the squads — Nebraska, Santa Clara, Georgia Tech, Missouri, South Carolina — are currently in the Top 25 with the other four (Michigan, Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU) ranked regionally. Here's a look at all their current records:
#5 Nebraska (21-1)
#11 Santa Clara (20-3)
#20 Missouri (20-4)
#18 South Carolina (19-4)
#24 Georgia Tech (23-5)
Arkansas (19-5) -- rv
Michigan (14-8) -- rv
Tennessee (17-8)
LSU (15-8)
UA LOOKS FOR 4TH STRAIGHT WINNING SEASON
With three consecutive winning seasons the Crimson Tide volleyball program is already in the midst of a historic run since it is the first time in modern volleyball history (since 1989 reinstatement of the sport at UA). What's next? Alabama would like to make it four in a row and also post the team's third straight 20+ win season. Bama needs just one victory to assure a winning season and is only four victories shy of the coveted 20-win mark.
"CAVE" GETS UPGRADES WITH MORE TO COME
Bama's volleyball home — The CAVE — recently got some a much deserved upgrade as a new floor design was painted on the competition playing surface. A wider crimson border and an elephant head on each end were added to give the the floor at more "Alabama" flavor. Other additions include hanging action photos of the Tide seniors and juniors along with a gigantic Bama "A" logo greeting fans as they enter the gym. New volleyball specific scoreboards have also been installed. In addition to these upgrades, more amenities are planned for next summer when two sets of 500 chairback permanent, retractable bleachers will be installed on each side of the court giving Alabama a truly volleyball specific playing arena.
UA REACHES CHAMPIONSHIP OF CRIMSON TIDE INVITATIONAL
Alabama looked ready to make it two straight tournament crowns but a talented Missouri squad stood in the way handing the Tide its first loss of the year in the championship match.
CRIMSON TIDE OPENS YEAR WITH TITLE
For the second consecutive season the Tide volleyball team posted an undefeated record en route to earning the tournament title in their season debut event. Alabama posted 3-1 victories over Marshall, Florida State and Illinois State last weekend to win the Barker GMC Classic crown. The championship marked the 22nd in program history and was the third for the Tide in Coach Judy Green's tenure.
CUSIMANO TO MISS ANOTHER SEASON
Redshirt freshman, Jennifer Cusimano, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during the first match last season reinjured her knee during some preseason training and will miss the upcoming season following a second surgery.
EXTRA ? EXTRA...
? Baby, Baby — UA assistant coach Michelle Durban and her husband Jason welcomed their first child, Alyson Lynn, on Sept. 18. Alyson weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz and was 21 inches long.
? Senior setter Bridget Studnicka and sophomore setter Kenna Milner were named the 2002 Crimson Tide team captains.
? Freshman Kelley Potter made her collegiate debut in the season opener as the first UA player to play the newly created "Libero" position.
? When the Tide played West Virginia (Sept. 6) it was a family reunion for Bridget Studnicka and her younger sister Brandice, a setter for the Mountaineers. Close to 30 of the sister's family members made the drive from Nebraska to see the match-up all dressed in matching T-shirts sporting both Bridget's #18 and Brandice's #23.
? Freshman walk-on Mary Beth Moore (a native of Double Springs, Ala.) took the first plane ride of her life when UA boarded a Northwest flight headed for Detroit on Aug. 29.
? 5-10 sophomore Kory Tull made her first career start for the Tide against Marshall... as a middle blocker. Tull was expected to challenge for the libero role but with the preseason injuries she got a shot and the middle and has made a difference ever since.
? A Big Red Homecoming —The Tide's visit to Nebraska was a sort of homecoming for senior setter Bridget Studnicka, a native of Clay Center, Neb. A lifetime supporter of the Cornhuskers, she had the chance to play in front of over 50 friends and family members.
? Following Bama's tourney victory at Illinois State, the Tide players reaped a little more attention... the team's flight was less than full and the flight crew invited the "Champs" to move up and enjoy the comforts of the empty first-class section.
? Halloween Extravanganza — The Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) hosted a costume contest for kids ages 5-10 in conjunction with the Bama Volleyball match with Georgia State (Oct. 29). Prizes were awarded and candy was handed out by UA student-athletes from all the sports.
? Threes a Charm — The Tide owns an impressive 19-8 record this season in Game 3 of their matches.
? Costly Errors — While the Crimson Tide has enjoyed a great deal of success on the court this year, one area has been a concern for the team... hitting errors. Bama has committed 30 or more hitting miscues in 12 matches this year which is equivalent to the Tide giving away a game (30 points) in a match. UA is 6-6 in those contests and snapped a string of five straight matches with 30+ with their solid hitting against LSU.
? All in a Season — Here is a look at the Tide players who have earned their way into Bama's Single Season Top 10...
Erin Heffner has the 8th most kills with 459 this year — next up: Michelle Green (503)... Heffner also needs just 7 attempts to reach 1,000 this season.
Kenna Milner has the 9th best season with 1,160 assists this year — next up: Allison Lange (1,187).
The 2002 Tide currently owns the 5th best hitting percentage at .238... With 231 aces thus far, this year's team ranks 10th all-time in aces — next up: 244 in 2001.
