Tide Sweeps Arkansas in Rivalry Game
10/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA ?? When Alabama meets up with Arkansas on the volleyball court, it usually ends up being a knock-down, drag-out brawl. Thankfully for the Tide and head coach Judy Green, fans expecting that type of match left disappointed.
That's because Green's team left little in doubt, breezing past the Lady Razorbacks in a clean 3-0 sweep in the CAVE on Friday night.
"It was just a total team effort," Green said. "There was total execution on all sides of the ball. We have a lot of respect for the Arkansas program, so to be able to win a match against them is always a huge win for us."
Wins in the SEC certainly don't come easy. Wins over Arkansas have never come easy for the Tide, which made tonight's victory all that much sweeter. The Alabama victory marked just the third Tide win in the series with the Lady ??Backs and ended a nine-match Arkansas win streak in meetings between the two SEC rivals.
Alabama put it away early, winning the first game 30-22 on the strength of some excellent serving by Rachael Green and Jennifer Weber. The Tide cruised in game two and won 30-18 to take a 2-0 lead into the break. Arkansas made the home team work hard in game three, but the Tide made the plays down the stretch to finish the Hogs in a 30-25 decision.
"We were outstanding from the service line," Green said. "We kept Arkansas out of their system throughout much of the match, which was our game plan going in. They are a dangerous team when they are in their system, so we had to do a good job keeping them out of it as much as we could, and we were able to do that."
The Tide earned the win on the strength of some flawless passing and precise offensive execution. Alabama's service reception was excellent throughout, allowing the team to stay in the offense for most of the match.
Brigitte Slack, the Tide's record-setting setter, reaped the rewards of the accurate passing game, distributing the ball all over the lineup in a balanced offensive attack. Slack racked up 40 assists on the evening, giving her 3,533 for her career. She passed the 3,500 assist barrier in the Alabama win and also moved past Erin Tenbrunsel (1992-95) for third place all-time on the school's career assist charts.
The Tide hit .324 for the match, its second-best hitting percentage in SEC play this season. Even more phenomenally, Slack's setting and Alabama's accurate hitting took away the Arkansas blocking attack. The Hogs, who came into the game ranked 19th in the nation in blocks per game, failed to record one in the match.
Bridget Fuentez and Crystal Hudson, the Tide's dynamic offensive duo, each recorded double figures in the kill column to lead the team. Fuentez notched 12 while Hudson racked up 11 on 19 attempts for a .421 hitting percentage. Hudson came into the match ranked seventh in the SEC in hitting percentage.
A trio of other Tide hitters also made contributions to the effort. Brooks Webster added nine kills, while Liz Salstrand and Green chipped in six apiece.
Alabama turned in a stellar effort on the defensive side of the net as well. The Tide tallied eight blocks and 54 digs on the night, let by libero Amy Pauly who had 12.
Weber, a true freshman from Wheaton, Ill., set a new career best by recording 10 digs in the match. Slack was the third Tide player in double figures in digs with 10 to her credit.
The road doesn't get any easier for the Tide, however. Alabama welcomes another SEC West rival into Tuscaloosa on Sunday when No. 10 LSU comes to town for another huge conference match.
"This win gives us a lot of momentum going into the LSU match," Green said. "They are an outstanding team and it's going to take everything we have to get a win against them on Sunday."
Alabama will honor Erin Heffner, perhaps the most decorated player in Tide volleyball history, prior to the 1:30 match in the CAVE.
Fans can view the match live on WVUA in Tuscaloosa or listen to the match on 90.7 FM The Capstone and on the station's web site, www.newrock907.com.
