Bama Volleyball Earns Sweep Over South Alabama
10/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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TUSCALOOSA - The University of Alabama volleyball team debuted a new line-up on Wednesday night and handed South Alabama a 3-0 (30-17, 30-17, 30-27) loss in the CAVE to start a six-match home stand.
Alabama head coach Judy Green mixed things up moving junior Kory Tull to the libero spot, sophomore Kelley Potter to the opposite hitter and inserted freshman Rachael Green into the middle blocker position. The result was one of the Crimson Tide's most balanced all-around performances.
"We made some changes looking to get a better and more consistent passing performance and also to be more efficient with our sideouts," said Judy Green. "I thought we saw some good things. Any win can help your confidence and it was especially helpful for our new lineup. We still have some things to work on but overall it was a solid outing. I thought Rachael played very well for her first start."
The victory improves the Tide to 9-11 on the year and extends their current win streak versus in-state foes to 17 consecutive victories. The loss marked South Alabama's fourth straight and dropped their season record to 4-16.
Alabama got out of the blocks quickly in game one. The Tide extended their margin to double digits at 20-9 and led 29-13 before USA fought off several game point chances. UA eventually closed out the game for the 30-17 win.
Game two started with the two squads trading points for several rotations. The Crimson Tide broke the scoring open with back-to-back strong serving performances by Erin Heffner and Julie Farley. Heffner guided the Tide to five straight points including two aces and Farley followed with three more points with an ace. Bama led 15-9 following the service run. The Tide continued their efficient play earning another 30-17 win. Alabama connected at a .577 pace on offense for the frame.
Following the break, South Alabama jumped out to the early advantage leading 7-0 before Bama rallied to cut the score to 7-5. Alabama knotted the score at 8 and from there the competition settled into a back-and-forth battle. Neither team could grab more than a two point lead until freshman Abbi Blackburn sparked the Tide to match point (29-25) with some aggressive serving. USA scored the next two points but that was it as Bama held on for the 30-27 victory and the three game sweep.
Heffner pounded out a match-high 18 kills and hit at a .464 clip to lead a balanced Alabama offense. Jennifer Bibber chipped in 12 kills and Green finished with six kills in her first start. Kelley Potter posted 10 digs for a Tide defense that won the battle on the back row 43-30 in digs. Farley tallied five blocks to pace the Tide net defense and served up four aces, sharing team high honors with Heffner. Bama served up 12 aces in the match. Setter Erin Price handed out 39 assists in leading the Tide to an impressive .291 hitting performance.
The Crimson Tide will get little rest as the squad jumps back into Southeastern Conference play this weekend welcoming Mississippi State to town on Friday night (7 p.m.) and Ole Miss on Sunday afternoon (1:30 p.m.).
Alabama (9-11) 30-30-30
South Alabama (4-16) 17-17-27
