Alabama
Mississippi
Volleyball Runs Past Mississippi in Straight Sets
11/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 13, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama volleyball team tallied six aces and hit .418 to down Mississippi in straight sets (26-24, 25-18, 25-19) in conference play Friday night at the CAVE. The win puts the Crimson Tide at 8-19 for the season and 6-11 in Southeastern Conference play, while the Rebels fall to 8-18 overall and 2-14 in the conference.
"For us to have six aces and only five service errors was a real key for us," Alabama head coach Judy Green said. "We served very well at serve and pass and that seemed to carry over into the match. Another key was for us to set our middles. They were able to get in a rhythm and score which took a lot of the pressure off our outside hitters."
Junior Alyssa Meuth and senior Brooks Webster did most of the damage in the hitting aspect of the match. Meuth led the Crimson Tide with 16 kills, followed by Calli Johnson and Webster with eight kills apiece. Mary Catherine Aune tallied two key aces, with Webster and Kayla Schmidt accounting for one ace each.
Three Tide players added double-digits in digs as Kelsey Anderson led all players with 12. Webster and Aune closely followed with 11 apiece. Kayla Schmidt was applauded for her efforts in the passing game as she tallied 41 assists without an error.
The volleyball team came out strong in the first set, maintaining the lead throughout the first portion of the period. After trailing 16-12, two consecutive kills by Webster brought the Tide back into leading contention. Meuth got the Tide back into the match with a kill, tying the score at 23. The score remained within one point until an ace by Sarah Machen sealed the set for Alabama, 26-24.
Setting the pace for the Tide in the second set, Ashley Frazier secured the first point with a powerful kill, allowing Webster to do the same on the next point, giving Alabama the lead at 2-0. Kayla Schmidt pulled the lead away for Alabama midway through the set with an ace, vaulting the score to 19-15. The Tide remained strong throughout the end of the match, finishing 25-18 after two Mississippi attacking errors.
In the third set Alabama recovered from an early Mississippi lead with a kill by Meuth to bring the score to 3-3. After a back and forth first half, Frazier and Johnson teamed up for a block to tie the teams at 13. After an ace by Aune to put the Tide up 17-16, UA never looked back. Ending on a strong note, an ace by Webster brought the final to 25-19.
The Crimson Tide will continue its SEC matchup weekend by hosting the Arkansas Razorbacks Sunday at the CAVE. Opening serve is slated for 1:00 pm (CST) and will be televised by Fox Sports South. The match will also mark senior day as three seniors will play their final match in front of the Tuscaloosa faithful.
