Crimson Tide Volleyball Earns Sweep Over LSU, 3-0
10/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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BATON ROUGE, La. - The University of Alabama volleyball team rebounded from a disappointing loss on Friday with an impressive 3-0 (34-32, 30-16, 30-26) sweep of Southeastern Conference rival LSU on Sunday afternoon.
With the win Alabama improves to 7-8 overall and gets back to the .500 mark in SEC play with a 2-2 record. LSU slips to 7-10 and 2-3 on the year.
Erin Heffner paced the Crimson Tide offense with 14 kills while Jennifer Bibber scored her second double-double of the weekend finishing with 13 kills and 12 digs. Another strong performance for Alabama came from Julie Farley with nine kills and team high seven blocks.
"It is always great to get a win on the road in the SEC," said UA head coach Judy Green. "I thought the key for us was how well we took care of the ball. Our passers did a great job adjusting to their service game. It was a strong overall performance for us."
The opening game saw each squad take several turns in the lead. Alabama opened up an early 11-8 advantage only to see LSU rally to knot the score at 14. The two teams settled into a sideout battle until Bama again took a slight lead at 27-24. UA pushed to game point at 29-26 but the Tigers roared back with four straight points to earn a game point opportunity of their own. After several more sideouts, Erin Price gave Bama the 34-32 win with a service ace.
The Tide jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead thanks to some aggressive serving from Erin Heffner in a five point run. LSU cut their deficit to two points on three different occasions but could get no closer as Alabama kept the Tigers out of system with strong serving. Bama broke things open midway through the frame with an 11-2 run that game UA a double digit advantage, 22-11. In the run, the Tide scored three consecutive points off blocks. Alabama finished with a flurry capturing the game 30-16 with their sixth block of the stanza.
LSU came out after the break with a new found intensity and quickly grabbed a 13-9 advantage. The Tigers maintained their margin for much of the third game as the two teams got into a back-and-forth scoring contest. The Tide eventually closed the gap and tied the score at 18. LSU pushed back in front with three straight points, but Bama rallied again this time taking a lead (24-23) that they would not relinquish. UA earned the sweep with a 30-26 in the final game.
As a team, Alabama hit at a .233 pace while limiting LSU to only a .152 clip. LSU's offensive leader was Regan Hood with 12 kills. Markeisha Constant, a native of Tuscaloosa and graduate of Central High School, also had a solid match for the Tigers finishing with 11 kills.
The Crimson Tide's next action is set for Friday night at 7:00 p.m. when Bama welcomes Georgia for their SEC home opener in the CAVE. Alabama will also host No. 3 ranked Florida on Sunday afternoon.
Alabama (7-8, 2-2 SEC) 34-30-30
LSU (7-10, 2-3 SEC) 32-16-26
