Tide Volleyball Set to Conclude SEC Play on the Road
11/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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The Alabama volleyball team (21-6, 9-5 SEC) hits the road to take on Tennessee Friday night in Knoxville and South Carolina Sunday afternoon in Columbia in the final weekend of Southeastern Conference play. The Tide returns home next weekend to host the SEC Volleyball Tournament.
The Tide is familiar with both UT and USC, having defeated the Gamecocks 3-0 on October 14 and two days later defeating Tennessee 3-1.
"All three teams have something to play for," Alabama head coach Judy Green said. "Tennessee is the hottest team in the league right now and South Carolina is in a must win situation to get into the tournament. We still have team goals in the conference that we want to accomplish."
Last time out, the Tide defeated the Georgia Bulldogs to snap a three match losing streak.
A trio of sophomores leads the Alabama offense. Bridget Fuentez paces the Tide with a 3.83 kill per game average, a mark that ranks tenth in the SEC. Crystal Hudson ranks third in the league in hitting percentage, posting a .358 mark. Brigitte Slack is averaging 12.57 assists per game and is just 31 shy of moving into fourth on Alabama's career assist list.
Defensively, senior libero Jessica Yearout leads the Tide. The St. Maries, Idaho native is averaging 4.53 digs per game. Also contributing to the Tide's defensive efforts is freshman Amy Pauly. The Burr Ridge, Ill. native had 25 digs in the Tide's matches against Florida and Georgia last weekend.
Tennessee (17-7, 11-3 SEC) is the hottest team in the SEC, winning six straight matches since falling to Alabama.
"I expect Tennessee to be a faster team than when we played them before," Green said. "Our first match with Tennessee seemed to light a fire under them. They're one of the top two teams in the conference right now."
Tennessee is led by the SEC's leading hitter and second leading finisher. Kristen Andre is posting a league best .374 hitting percentage for the Lady Vols. Yuliya Stoyanova is averaging .4.41 kills per game for UT.
South Carolina (10-14, 3-11 SEC) is playing with their backs against the wall, needing to win their final two matches to have a chance to make the SEC Tournament.
The Gamecocks have a balanced offensive attack led by Shonda Cole. Cole ranks fourth in the SEC with a 4.30 kill per game average.
Friday night's match is set for 6:00 CT while first serve for Sunday's contest is scheduled for 12:30 CT. Live stats for both matches will be available at www.rolltide.com.
