Bama Volleyball Drops Tourney Finale Versus Montana State
9/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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BOZEMAN, Mont. - A young University of Alabama volleyball team continued their learning experiences on Saturday night as Montana State earned a hard-fought 3-0 (30-17, 30-24, 30-25) victory over the Tide in the finale of the Mizuno/Holiday Inn Classic.
The Crimson Tide, who have now dropped four straight matches, is 1-5 on the season while the victory improved Montana State's record to 4-2 in 2003. Alabama junior outside hitter Erin Heffner was named to the All-Tournament team.
"This weekend taught us a lot about ourselves," said UA head coach Judy Green. "I hope that we can take some of those things we learned and make ourselves better. We just need to get back into the practice gym and turn up our commitment and determination. I believe that we will continue to get better if we stay focused."
A handful of unforced errors put Alabama in an early hole against Montana State in game one. The Crimson Tide battled back trimming a five point Bobcat lead to just two (13-11) before MSU turned up the pressure with strong serving and solid net defense. Following the UA run, MSU outscored the Tide by a 17-6 count to capture the opening frame, 30-17. Montana State used five game one blocks to force Bama into a -.122 hitting performance.
Alabama turned the Tide on Montana State in game two opening up their largest lead of the match, 16-10, on the strength of aggressive serves. The Bobcats clawed their way back into the game and knotted the score at 20. The two squads settled into a sideout battle for several possessions but MSU's offense strung six points together to close out the game and earn the 30-24 win.
The Tide and Bobcats traded points for much of the third stanza as both teams took their turn in the lead. Neither squad could muster more than a two point advantage until Alabama used a 5-1 run to push ahead 21-18. Montana State wasted no time rallying back scoring 11 of the next 13 points to reach match point. Alabama fought off several match-ending attempts before MSU nailed down the victory with a 30-25 decision.
For the match, Heffner finished with a team-high 15 kills and 11 digs. Jennifer Bibber joined her outside hitting mate in double digits with 11 kills while Kelley Potter shared team defensive honors tallying 11 digs. Julie Farely led the Bama net patrol with five blocks. Freshman Sarah Schneider saw her first action of the year at the libero spot recording four digs.
Alabama travels back to Tuscaloosa on Sunday and continues its season-opening road trip next week with matches at Butler (Sept. 11) and No. 22 Louisville (Sept. 12). The Tide will host the Crimson Tide Invitational on Sept. 19-20 in the squad's first home appearance of 2003.
Alabama (1-5) 17-24-25
Montana State (4-2) 30-30-30
