Tide Loses Hotly Contested Match to #17 Tennessee
10/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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TUSCALOOSA - The University of Alabama volleyball team went toe-to-toe with No. 17 ranked Tennessee on Sunday and came up just short in a hard-fought 3-1 (26-30, 25-30, 30-21, 29-31) loss in the CAVE.
The Tide (14-5, 4-4 SEC) had chances to pull off the upset against the nationally ranked Lady Vols (18-1, 8-0 SEC) but just couldn't get the key points when they needed them.
"Today was a tremendous volleyball match," said UA head coach Judy Green. "I was very proud of our character especially in how we came back in game three. This is another big learning step for this team and I believe it will help us down the road this year. Volleyball, like most sports, is a game of inches and today we just came up a little short."
Senior All-American Erin Heffner led a balanced offense attack that saw three Tide hitters finish with double-digit kills. Heffner finished with a match-high 16 kills followed by 14 from Julie Farley and 12 by Crystal Hudson.
Alabama out-blocked the taller Tennessee squad 15.5-12 led by seven blocks from Farley and six blocks by Kelley Potter. Jessica Yearout posted 15 digs to top the Tide's back row defensive effort that saw UA average over 15 digs per game in the match.
Tennessee took a slight advantage in the opening game (10-6) after scoring six straight points. The Lady Vols maintained that edge until a charge by Bama knotted the score at 20. UT answered scoring six of the next seven points and closed out the frame for the 30-26 victory.
The Crimson Tide earned the early 10-6 lead in the second game and stayed in front until Tennessee battled back to even the score at 20. Again the Lady Vols were able to string a couple points together to gain the momentum and capture the game by a 30-25 count.
Following the break, a more determined Tide team took the floor and quickly jumped in front by scoring the first nine points on Yearout's serve. UT refused to go away and the Lady Vols eventually closed the deficit to four points, 15-11. However, Alabama continued to put the pressure on pushing in front by as much as 11 points (28-17) en route to the comfortable 30-21 win.
Game four saw the Tide fall behind 7-2 at the start before beginning a steady climb back into the contest. UA completed the comeback and even grabbed a 15-14 lead. From that point the two sides traded points as neither team would lead by more than three points the rest of the way. Trailing 29-26, Bama scored three consecutive points with a pair of kills by Heffner and a tandem block point by Rachael Green and Kelley Potter. Tennessee got a kill from Kristen Andre to earn match point and then a kill attempt by Heffner pounded the court just out of bounds giving the Lady Vols the win.
Yuliya Stoyanova finished with 19 kills for Tennessee followed by 18 from Andre. The Lady Vols, one of the nation's leaders in digs, had four players reach double digit digs on Sunday including 19 by Amy Morris.
Alabama returns to action next weekend when the Tide hits the road to face Mississippi State (Friday) and Ole Miss (Sunday).
PHOTO GALLERY:
The Tide celebrates a big point.
(Photo by Michelle Lepianka)
Coach Judy Green asks for an explanation.
(Photo by Michelle Lepianka)
Rachael Green hammers one home.
(Photo by Michelle Lepianka)
Erin Heffner tries to block a Tennessee shot.
(Photo by Jeff Hanson)
Coach Erich Hinterstocker and Coach Chris Redding encourage their team.
(Photo by Michelle Lepianka)
Crystal Hudson goes up for the kill.
(Photo by Michelle Lepianka)
Megan Hudson serves the ball.
(Photo by Jeff Hanson)
