Tide Volleyball Defeats Indiana to Extend Streak
9/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The University of Alabama volleyball team continued its winning ways on Friday night with an impressive 3-1 (25-30, 30-26, 33-31, 30-25) victory over Indiana in the opening round of the TIS Bookstore Invitational.
The Crimson Tide (8-0) remained undefeated on the season with the victory and extended its record setting season start to eight consecutive wins. The loss dropped the tournament-host Hoosiers to 6-3 on the year.
"I was very proud of how well this team made adjustments after the first game," said UA head coach Judy Green. "They showed a great deal of maturity to do the things necessary to win this match. I believe that this was by far our most complete match of the season. Our blocking and our back-row defense really worked well together. This was a big win for us."
Senior All-American candidate Erin Heffner, a native of Ft. Wayne, Ind., was again the standout performer for the Tide finishing with team highs in both kills (25) and digs (16). Middle blocker Julie Farley also had a strong night for the Tide posting 13 kills and hitting at a .545 clip.
Alabama and Indiana traded turns in the lead in the opening game as the two squads settled into a back-and-forth affair. The Hoosiers kept the Tide off-balance for much of the opening stanza using a mix of roll shots and tips. IU opened up a slight advantage late and held on for the 30-25 win.
In the second game, UA jumped out to an early lead as the Tide made adjustments to the off-speed attacks of the Hoosiers. Bama eventually broke things open with a 6-0 spurt midway through the second frame. The Tide maintained their margin and evened the match with a 30-26 victory.
Game three was a classic side-out volleyball battle consisting of 10 ties and six lead changes before Alabama finally outlasted Indiana for the 33-31 victory. Heffner led the way for Bama in the frames recording 10 kills including the final point.
Indiana tried to extend the match to a full five games, taking a 20-15 lead in the fourth game. However, the Tide refused to quit as they charged back behind strong serving and solid defense to close out the match with a 30-25 decision.
In addition to its solid offensive performance, Alabama benefited from a balanced defensive effort from both the front row and the back line. The Tide finished with a season best 12 team blocks on the night, with Rachael Green and Kelley Potter posting six blocks each. UA also tallied 63 digs placing four players in double digits.
Indiana was led by Katie Pollom with 16 kills and 14 digs by Christine Nilles. Mandy Eberle led all players with seven blocks on the night.
The Crimson Tide get little rest as Alabama is scheduled to return to tournament action on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. against Pitt. The Panthers were 3-0 victors over Kent State in Friday evening's first match. UA will also face Kent State on Saturday night at 5 p.m.
