Tide Volleyball Team Prepares to Open Fall Camp
8/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA ?? The number of fall sports that have begun preseason practice will be increased by one on Wednesday, August 10, when the University of Alabama volleyball team officially kicks off the 2006 season with its first officially scheduled workout.
“This is a really exciting time of the year for everybody, coaches and players collectively,” head coach Judy Green said. “We are excited about the beginning of a new season and a new journey together.”
Beginning Wednesday, preseason practices for the team will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. daily until the fall semester begins on August 23.
The Tide is coming off a record-setting 2005 season that saw Green lead her team to an SEC Tournament finals appearance and the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. Alabama posted a 23-11 overall record and a 9-7 mark in the SEC, good for third place in the league’s Western division.
During the offseason, the team was able to fit in a 10-day, three country trip to Europe, where the Tide competed in five matches.
“We lost two talented players from a year ago,” Green said. “But I felt like our spring season was very productive in terms of individual player development and our trip to Europe was a really good time for our younger players to gain some quality match experience.”
The Tide unit will feature several key returning players from the 2005 NCAA Tournament team that will look to expand upon its success from a year ago.
“I think we return a really solid core group of talented players,” Green said. “It will be our challenge daily to keep our focus on improving as a team every day so that by the time we reach late November we can meet the expectations we have set for ourselves.”
Alabama returns five starters and nine letterwinners from last year’s squad, including redshirt junior middle blocker Crystal Hudson. Hudson recorded a .348 hitting percentage as a sophomore, the best percentage on the team and the fifth-highest mark in the SEC.
Bridgette Slack, who was the Tide’s setter last season, also is among the list of returning players from 2005. Slack, a junior from Ft. Wayne, Ind., averaged 11.81 assists per game last season to rank her fourth in the league in that category.
Bridget Fuentez was the Tide’s leader in kills a year ago and will return to her outside hitter post for her junior season. The Tomball, Texas native pounded 3.72 kills per game last season, the highest average on the team. Fuentez also recorded 2.64 digs per game in 2005, the third highest average for the Tide.
Sophomore Sarah Snider, who saw extensive action as a true freshmen last year, will also return on the outside for the Tide as a sophomore. Snider racked up 346 kills a season ago, the third highest total on the team behind only Hudson and Fuentez.
The Tide will host an intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday, August 20 at 1:30 p.m. prior to the commencement of the regular season. Regular season action will begin on Friday, August 25 in Tuscaloosa.
