Alabama
Kentucky
Volleyball Falls to No. 8 Kentucky
10/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 18, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-18) decision to eighth-ranked Kentucky Sunday in the CAVE. The Crimson tide now stands at 6-14 overall and 4-6 in the Southeastern Conference, while the Wildcats improve to 19-1 overall and 9-0 against league opponents.
"Kentucky earned this win today against us," said head coach Judy Green. "I don't feel like we gave the match away, and I still really like the look of our team. We are going to be the best second half team in the SEC."
Junior Alyssa Meuth led Alabama with 13 kills and sophomore Ashley Frazier was close behind with 12 kills. Freshman Kelsey Anderson had the highest number of digs for the team with 11, while junior Kayla Schmidt dished out a team-high 30 assists.
The Tide started off the first set with a kill from senior Brooks Webster to take the quick lead, however Kentucky would soon jump in front after it scored a pair of points. The next few series went back and forth before the Wildcats rattled off four consecutive points to pull ahead 12-7. Kentucky continued to lead the frame until a 6-2 run by the Crimson and White, capped off by a solo block from Webster, tied the first at 20-20. After a timeout, the Wildcats scored, only to be disappointed when Frazier tied the set at 21-21 with a kill, and then soon took the 22-21 edge with an intense kill from Meuth at the end of a long rally. Kentucky tied the set yet again and soon faced set point, which the Tide avoided thanks to Meuth's third kill of the first. The Wildcats would go on to take the final two points to earn the 26-24 win in the frame.
Alabama came out strong in the second set going up by as many as three points early, but Kentucky stayed within striking distance and eventually passed the Tide with an 8-0 run to pull in front 13-8. The Wildcats continued to hold the pace, but Alabama would not go away. The Tide came within two points of the Kentucky lead at 21-19 behind the efforts of a 6-2 run, but the Wildcats would respond scoring the final four points of the set to take a 2-0 lead at intermission.
In the third, Kentucky maintained the lead throughout most of the set following the early 2-1 advantage for Alabama. The Tide kept close and evened the score on seven occasions until finally jumping back in front at 11-10 with a kill from Meuth off the assist from Schmidt. Kentucky would quickly find itself back in front after a pair of points and would stay there for the duration of the frame. Alabama was able to pull within one at 16-15, but the Wildcats would go on to outscore the Tide 9-3 down the final stretch for the 25-18 win.
"Kentucky showed why they are a top 10 team," added Green. "They don't make many errors and earn most of their points. Our team needs to do more of that. I thought throughout the weekend we got better at it, but it is something we need to keep improving on."
Next up, Alabama hits the road to take on Auburn and Georgia on Friday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct. 25, respectively. Friday's tilt with the Tigers is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. (CST), while Sunday's match versus the Bulldogs will start at 12:30 p.m. (CST).
