Volleyball Hosts No. 10 Florida on Friday
10/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 29, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team (6-16, 4-8 SEC) returns to the CAVE to host the No. 10 Florida Gators (16-3, 10-2 SEC) on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7:00 p.m. (CST). This will be the Crimson Tide's third match this season against a top ten opponent.
"The team has been more coachable this week in practice," said head coach Judy Green. "They are determined to be a more disciplined team both offensively and defensively. The work they put in at practice has to show up at some point in time in match situations."
Alabama will be looking to get back in the win column for the first time since knocking off Mississippi State 3-2 in Tuscaloosa. Of the four conference wins the Tide has collected this season, three have come at home. Alabama is coming off a tough 3-1 road loss to Georgia, but received solid performances from several players. The Tide was able to split the first two sets, but the Bulldogs came out of intermission and took the final two sets. Junior Alyssa Meuth and sophomore Ashley Frazier each recorded double-digit kills, while senior Brooks Webster was able to collect 17 digs and four blocks defensively. Junior Kayla Schmidt handed out 34 assists, tallied three kills, and served a career-high three aces.
The Gators come in as the highest ranked SEC team in the national rankings. They currently sit in second place in the SEC Eastern Division though, one-half game behind the Kentucky Wildcats. Florida has swept each of its last four matches since being swept in Baton Rouge by LSU. The Gators have three players averaging over three kills per set, led by sophomore Colleen Ward's average of 3.21. Another sophomore, Kelly Murphy, leads Florida in hitting percentage (.360) and assists per set (6.09). The offense has been clicking all season, as the Gators lead the SEC in hitting percentage and are second in the conference in kills per set. The Gators' senior libero Elyse Cusack currently sits third all-time in the SEC in career digs with 1,920.
"We are going to be playing a very talented Florida team," added Green. "This will be a good measuring stick to see if we'll be able to execute. We've been giving away too many points which is something we've been addressing in practice. Our struggles as of late have been more mental than physical, and we need our determination in practice to be a factor on game day."
For those unable to attend, live video, live scoring and radio will all be available and can be found by clicking here.
