Crimson Tide Splits Matches at UNI Invitational
9/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA ?? The University of Alabama earned a hard-fought split in Saturday’s action at the UNI Invitational in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Tide dropped a 3-2 decision to the hosts from Northern Iowa in the opener, but salvaged a victory with a dramatic five-game victory over Kansas State in the second match.
“This morning we went toe-to-toe and battled a very physical Northern Iowa team and couldn’t finish it out because of our mistakes,” head coach Judy Green said. “We addressed those and knew we had to focus and be sharp against Kansas State. We did and won every critical point that we needed in games four and five. I was very proud of us being able to step up and focus and get it done.”
Alabama opened the day by winning the first two games against UNI, but was unable to hold on to the advantage as the Panthers swept the final three to win the match. The Tide held an advantage late in the fifth game, but Northern Iowa surged to the victory late.
Against Kansas State, the Tide fell to a 2-1 deficit, but put in a gritty performance in game four to force a decisive fifth frame. Alabama won the game and the match with a 15-6 decision over the Wildcats in game five.
“We hit the ball better as a team against Kansas State,” Green said. “We played good defense all day, but we hit it better as a team for five games to get that win.”
Setter Brigitte Slack, who stands in fourth place on the Tide’s all-time assist charts, notched 101 more after 57 against the Panthers and 45 versus Kansas State. Slack’s efforts earned her All-Tournament honors.
“The player that stood out for me was Brigitte Slack,” Green said. “She had three really grueling matches this weekend and had to work hard to get it done. She found a way to get it to our hitters in some tough spots and deserves a lot of credit.”
The Tide (5-4) was led offensively by outside hitter Bridget Fuentez. The junior from Tomball, Texas racked up 39 kills in the two matches, including a 23-kill effort against UNI, setting a new personal season high.
Crystal Hudson, a redshirt junior from Hueytown, tallied 28 kills for the Tide. She recorded 17 against Northern Iowa and finished with 11 in the win over KSU. Hudson has now posted double figures in kills in eight of the Tide’s nine matches this season.
True freshman Liz Salstrand had seven blocks on the defensive side of the net for Alabama and libero Amy Pauly racked up 65 digs while setting career highs in successive matches with 30 against UNI and 35 in the victory over KSU.
“Amy Pauly had a great weekend,” Green said. “She accepted the challenge our coaching staff gave her and did an outstanding job.”
The Tide will open SEC play next weekend when Mississippi State and Ole Miss travel to Tuscaloosa for matches on Friday and Sunday. Alabama faces the Bulldogs on Friday in the league opener, with first serve set for 7 p.m.
NORTHERN IOWA
In the opening match against the hosting Panthers, the Tide got off to a slow start. Northern Iowa racked up an 11-4 advantage early in game one with the help of some sloppy Tide passing. Alabama climbed right back into it though, taking a 25-23 lead and forcing a UNI timeout.
The Tide took a 29-26 lead only to see the Panthers storm back to tie it at 29. Some exciting action ensued, with the teams trading points on several great rallies. A Salstrand block and a Webster kill sealed the deal though, and the Tide took first blood after a 34-32 win in the opener.
Bridget Fuentez spurred the Tide offense in the first frame with six kills, while Crystal Hudson notched five. Sarah Snider had seven digs and Fuentez and Amy Pauly each added five.
Alabama controlled much of game two, but UNI came back down the stretch. The teams were knotted at 27 apiece late when the Tide turned it on behind Fuentez, who pounded home one of her eight kills in the game to give her team a 30-27 game two win.
Nothing went right for the Tide in game three, as UNI opened up a big lead early and never looked back. The Alabama offense never got on track and the Panthers took advantage, holding the Tide to a -.136 hitting percentage in their 30-14 victory.
It looked as if UNI would run away with game four, but a spirited Tide comeback pulled Alabama within three. The Panthers were too much down the stretch and pulled even at two games apiece with a 30-24 decision.
In the deciding fifth game, it was the Tide who grabbed the early advantage, forcing a UNI timeout early and holding an 8-5 lead at the start. The Panthers clawed back to tie the game at eight apiece and pulled ahead, 11-9, forcing a Tide timeout. It was all UNI from that point, as the hosts pulled away to win the game and the match with a 15-11 decision.
Fuentez led the Alabama offensive attack with 23 kills, while Hudson and Webster added 17 and 16, respectively. Amy Paula tallied 30 digs, setting a new career high. Fuentez had 19 digs and Snider tallied 15 in the losing effort.
KANSAS STATE
Alabama bounced right back in the second match of the day against Kansas State. The Tide jumped out early and built a formidable lead behind some outstanding defensive play by Salstrand. Salstrand, a true freshman from Rockford, Ill., was in on four of the team’s five blocks and tallied three kills in the game to help Alabama take a quick 1-0 lead on the Wildcats with a 30-26 win.
Kansas State returned the favor in the second frame, as the Wildcats dominated the action from the start. KSU went up to a 12-6 lead and never looked back in a 30-16 decision that evened the match at one game each.
The Tide hung close for most of game three, but KSU was just a bit too much down the stretch. After Alabama took an early 10-8 advantage, the Wildcats put together two separate runs to take a 19-16 lead. Kansas State withstood a late UA rally to earn a 30-24 win and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Game four saw a gutty effort by the Tide. After leading through most of the game, Alabama saw KSU take a late lead. Facing elimination, Alabama came up with the plays it needed, including a Slack kill and another block by Salstrand with help from teammate Rachael Green to earn the final two points of the game and lift UA to a 30-28 win, sending the match to a fifth frame.
Playing in the second five-game match of the day, the Tide came up with its most complete game of the day, putting away KSU with a decisive 15-6 victory. Hudson ended the match with an exclamation point, as she slammed home one of her XX kills to earn the Tide a hard-fought victory.
