Volleyball set to open Conference Slate on the Road
9/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 18, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team begins conference play on the road this weekend with a matchup against Kentucky on Friday, Sept. 19 at 6:00 p.m. (CST). Alabama owns a 7-2 preconference record, the best start for the Crimson Tide since 2005.
"Starting SEC play is always an exciting time of year, but it really does not change our commitment to improve every single day," said head coach Judy Green. "This week we worked exclusively on trying to get better at the fundamental aspects of the game. Our team is a work in progress, but the most positive sign we have seen is that we continue to improve weekly. We have broken our season down into four segments including preseason non-conference, first round of SEC play, second round of SEC play and the post season. We worked very hard to be 7-2 coming out of our first quarter of the season, and we are going to have to continue to work hard to find the success throughout the first half of SEC play."
The Tide is no stranger to starting out conference play on hostile ground. Alabama has started SEC play on the road five out of the last eight years. Alabama is coming off a three-match winning streak having swept its Crimson Tide Invitational Tournament. The Tide rolled past Samford 3-0, South Florida 3-1 and Murray State 3-0. Brooks Webster was named MVP of the tournament posting 15 kills against Samford and South Florida and 14 against Murray State. Alyssa Meuth and Elizabeth Salstrand both earned all-tournament honors.
Webster leads the Tide in five categories including kills (124), kills per set (3.76), where she also ranks No. 2 in the SEC, total attack (313), points (147.5) and points per set (4.47). Meuth ranks second on the team in kills with 79 total, 2.72 per set, and points 83.5 (2.88 per set). Calli Johnson leads the blocking front having collected 34 total rejections on the season, 1.03 per set, putting her at No. 8 in the conference. In addition, Johnson sits atop the SEC's hitting percentage list where she posts a .410 percentage over the first nine matches. Also holding a No. 1 ranking is Mary Catherine Aune, whose 19 service aces (0.61 per set) place her in front. Lauren Martin has set up the bulk of the offense this season tallying nearly 10 assists per set where she ranks No. 4 in the league. Holding down the defense is Amy Pauly, who has collected 108 digs in 2008. Her 3.27 digs per match place her at No. 8 on the list of SEC leaders.
Kentucky (9-2) enters the showdown with Alabama on a six-match winning streak. The Wildcats last played in the UK Invitational, where they swept three matches, beating Indiana 3-1, Eastern Kentucky 3-0 and Albany 3-1, to win the tournament. Kentucky currently ranks No. 1 as a team in kills per set (13.92), assists per set (12.69) and blocks per set (2.59) in the league. In addition, BriaAnne Sauer stands atop the individual digs list with 4.33 per set. Other leaders for the Wildcats include Queen Nzenwa and Sarah Rumely. Nzenwa is No. 4 in the SEC in hitting percentage and holds the Kentucky record for block assists with 472. Rumely leads the league in assists with 10.82 per set.
While the Tide won the two matchups in 2007, the Wildcats lead the all-time series 17-12. Both matches last season went down to the wire, with Alabama winning 3-2 on each occasion.
"The teams we are opening this weekend are certainly great challenges for us in various ways," added Green. "We will have to do a good job of avoiding distractions and have to stay disciplined and execute our match plan in order to be successful."
Fans can catch Friday's match on the internet by clicking here. In addition, live stats will be available at rolltide.com.
Alabama will travel from Lexington, Ky. to Knoxville, Tenn. for a Sunday matinee matchup with the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Opening serve is slated for 12:30 p.m. (CST).
