Volleyball Ends 2007 with Third NCAA Tournament Appearance
2/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
By Scott Latta
UA Media Relations
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.-The Alabama volleyball team opened the 2007 season with an experienced lineup and high expectations for the season. By November, it ended the year with a winning conference record and a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament while saying goodbye to four of the most influential seniors in the sport's history at Alabama.
For Tide head coach Judy Green, getting back into the NCAA Tournament was a continued step in the right direction for her program and a reassurance that Alabama is continuing to make a name for itself in collegiate volleyball.
"I think it was a tremendous learning season for us and a growing point for our program," Green said. "We are right there at the top 40 level and now we have to figure out how to get from the top 40 to the top 30 to the top 25. I feel like our program is growing."
Alabama opened the season with a grueling non-conference schedule that included matches against No. 22 Oklahoma and No. 13 Ohio. The Tide carried a 3-6 record into SEC play but then quickly caught fire, winning its first five conference games, including four on the road.
The winning streak got Alabama going in the right direction, but it wasn't even the longest of the season for the Tide, as Green saw her team rattle off six more conference wins in a row in October to shake off a three-match losing streak.
The rally gave Alabama momentum going into the last month of the season, but the Tide couldn't capitalize and lost its final four matches to end the regular season with a 15-14 record. Its progress during conference play proved enough to earn Alabama a spot in the NCAA Tournament, however, and the Tide traveled to No. 20 Clemson to face the Tigers.
A 1-3 loss on the Clemson campus ended Alabama's season, giving the Tide a 15-15 record.
"Our staff walked away empty-handed but if you look at the big picture, if you are going to win big matches at big times you have to experience it," Green said. "The more you experience it, at some point in time you are actually going to make it happen. It left our younger players and our returning players and our staff with a hunger that maybe we haven't had for some time."
The Crimson Tide said goodbye to four of its top statistical leaders in 2007 with the departures of Bridget Fuentez, Crystal Hudson, Megan Hudson and Brigitte Slack.
And though Green knows she will have to find replacements for the four in 2008, the legacy the group leaves behind is enough to motivate the new faces this season for the Tide.
"Going into the spring, our returning players are eager to create their own identity," Green said. "I've seen our players return this semester with an edge in their eye. I see players walking around with added confidence and maybe they feel they have more ownership now on the direction of the 2008 team come August.
All the players are improving at a fast rate because we are going to have people on the floor that haven't been on the floor full time that are going to fill roles. We need them to be able to step up and become better players."
-UA-
