Tide Breezes Past Kansas to Earn Academy Sports Title
8/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA ?? After last night’s tough loss to Miami in the opening round of the Academy Sports Invitational, the Crimson Tide volleyball team was looking for redemption. It was fitting then, that on the following night Alabama would be facing a team that had handed the Tide its first loss of the 2005 season, the Kansas Jayhawks.
At the end of the night, redemption had been earned, as the Tide dispatched the Jayhawks in three straight to earn the Academy Sports Invitational title in the CAVE on Saturday night.
“I like how we responded from last night because five-gamers can be a stinger and mess with your head a little bit,” head coach Judy Green said. “It shows how much we have improved from a year ago at this time.”
More importantly for Alabama and Green, the Tide earned its sweep over KU behind a total team effort.
In Friday night’s loss to the Hurricanes, it was all Crystal Hudson on the offensive side of the ball. Hudson, who managed to record 24 kills despite facing as many as three Hurricanes at times, set a new career high but saw her team lose a tough 3-2 decision.
Tonight, however, Brigitte Slack, the Tide’s record-setting junior setter, learned her lesson. Slack fed Hudson early, and then used her as a decoy, moving the ball around expertly to the other Alabama hitters throughout the match. Slack finished with 38 assists on the night and helped the Tide outhit Kansas, .318 to .026.
“The look that we gave Kansas tonight was different than I think they anticipated,” Green said. “Brigitte did exactly what we asked her to do in the scouting report and did it almost to perfection. She ran a great show and got everyone involved.”
Hudson still managed to impress though. The Hueytown junior was able to find the time to pound a match-high 12 kills on 24 attempts, but even more importantly, her presence on the floor opened the door for her teammates. She finished the tournament with 44 kills while hitting .360 for the weekend en route to tournament MVP honors.
“Crystal is really maturing into a great volleyball player,” Green said. “She has to be one of the most fun players to watch in the game because of how much fun she has when she plays. When Crystal is in that frame of mind, she is almost unstoppable.”
Thankfully for Hudson and the Tide, her teammates were nearly unstoppable as well.
Bridget Fuentez certainly did more than her share from the outside hitter position. Fuentez, a second team All-SEC selection in 2005, had 11 kills against KU and finished the weekend with 37. She added nine digs in tonight’s win and added one service ace to the offensive effort.
Rachael Green benefited from Slack’s adjustments as well, tallying a season-high nine kills on 19 attempts on the night. Green, a senior from Ootlewah, Tenn., hit .325 for the weekend while recording six blocks in three matches.
Two relative newcomers also had excellent performances for the Tide. Redshirt freshman Brooks Webster followed up a solid debut on Friday against Miami with another good outing by pounding seven kills. Liz Salstrand, a true freshman out of Rockford, Ill., made the second start of her young career a successful one, as she notched three kills and a pair of blocks for Alabama.
“I think that the longer Brooks is on the floor, the more confidence she is going to gain,” Green said. “I saw her tonight hit balls over 6-2 blockers. Liz came into the lineup and gave us an instant solid presence for us. She has the makings of being a great blocker, and she showed signs of that tonight.”
Sarah Snider led the Tide with 11 digs, while true freshman Jennifer Weber recorded six.
“We have been able to find some ways to get players some confidence that haven’t played in a long time, Sarah being one of them,” Green said. “Getting the opportunity to play with some different lineups helps us get to know a little more about our team.”
Fuentez and Slack joined Hudson on the All-Tournament team along with Jane Correa and Emily Brown of Kansas and Frannie Savage of Miami.
The Tide hosts its second tournament next weekend in the CAVE, with Ball State, UW-Milwaukee and Mercer making the trip to Tuscaloosa as Alabama defends its 2005 title at the Hampton Inn Bama Bash.
