Volleyball Travels to Auburn for SEC Opener
9/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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With a successful pre-conference run behind them, the University of Alabama volleyball team (12-1) is set to play its first Southeastern Conference match of the season Wednesday night at Auburn. The Tide comes into the contest with the Tigers riding a 12-match win streak that includes last week's BSC Challenge tournament title.
Alabama has also won its last 10 meetings with the Tigers and is 8-8 in the modern era (1989-present) in SEC openers. Auburn (6-2) is on a four match win streak and won the Mizuno/Auburn Challenge this past weekend.
A trio of sophomores leads the way for Alabama. Crystal Hudson leads the Tide and ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage at .427. Defensively, the Hueytown native posts a team bests 1.25 blocks per game. Bridget Fuentez paces UA with 148 kills this season for a 3.70 kill per game average. The Tomball, Texas native also ranks second on the squad in digs with 124. Brigitte Slack is on record pace with 553 assists so far this year. The Ft. Wayne Indiana native is averaging 13.82 assists per game, a mark which ranks eighth in the country and would best her school record of 12.85.
Auburn (6-2) is led by Rachel Shanks and Bailey Veit. Shanks has posted a team best 92 kills for the Tigers while Veit is averaging 4.33 digs per game.
The Tide and Tigers have played one common opponent so far this season, with each hosting Alabama A&M. The Tide defeated the Bulldogs 3-0 last Wednesday night while the Tigers took a 3-1 win over A&M on Saturday. First serve of the match is set for 7 p.m. The match can be heard in the Tuscaloosa area on WVUA 90.7 FM. Outside of Tuscaloosa, the broadcast can be heard and live stats can be followed via the internet at www.rolltide.com.
