Volleyball Announces 2009 Schedule
5/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
May 14, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Volleyball Head Coach Judy Green announced the 2009 schedule on Thursday which includes matches against eight squads that advanced to the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Highlighting the list of opponents is the two-time defending national champion Penn State Nittany Lions who went a perfect 38-0 last season.
"I really like our schedule, and I feel it will challenge our team," explained Green. "Probably the most noticeable difference from last year's schedule to the 2009 schedule is the caliber of teams we are playing in our non-conference tournaments."
The Crimson Tide will open up the season on the road at the SLU Active Ankle Challenge in St. Louis, Mo. on August 28. For its first match, Alabama will face host team Saint Louis before playing in a doubleheader on August 29 against Penn State and Miami-Ohio. All three of these teams made it to the NCAA Tournament in 2008.
"This tournament is one of the best opening tournaments we have ever played in," said Green. "Our players are excited to play Penn State, SLU and Miami, and they know each team is coming off much success in the 2008 NCAA tournament."
The Tide's annual Bama Bash is slated for September 4-5 and will feature Jacksonville State, McNeese State, SMU and Alabama. SMU and Jacksonville State will kick off the tournament followed by McNeese State and Alabama in the nightcap. McNeese State and SMU will hit the floor first on Saturday before the Tide makes its first appearance of the day taking on Jacksonville State. In the final two matches, Jacksonville State will face McNeese State, and Alabama will go up against SMU.
The Tide will conclude its non-conference slate all the way across the country when heads to Sacramento, Calif. for the Sacramento State Tournament September 11-12. Following suit, Alabama will play one match on the first day and a pair of matches on the second day. First up for the Tide is Fresno State. Alabama will then take on San Francisco and will end the tournament against Sacramento State.
"The goal of our non-conference schedule is to prepare us for SEC play," added Green. "This schedule will accomplish that goal."
The SEC portion of the Tide's schedule begins at home when Alabama faces Georgia and Auburn on September 18 and 20, respectively. The Tide will then begin its alternating weeks of home and away matches as it travels to South Carolina and Florida the next weekend. Alabama's only midweek match of the season will be September 30 when it hosts Mississippi State and will finish off the week against LSU. Next up will be road matches at Arkansas on October 9 and Ole miss on October 11. Alabama will complete its first rotation against its SEC opponents on October 16 and 18 when it hosts Tennessee and Kentucky.
The second half of the conference schedule kicks off on the road at Auburn on October 23 followed by a trip to Georgia on October 25. Florida and South Carolina will pay a visit to Tuscaloosa on the last weekend of the month. The Tide will spend November 6-8 on the road at Kentucky and Tennessee before hosting its final matches of the season against Ole Miss on November 13 and Arkansas on November 15. Alabama wraps up the regular season at LSU on November 22 and at Mississippi State on November 27.
"The SEC, once again, looks to be one of the best volleyball conferences in the nation," said Green. "We want to improve on where we finished last season and to do that we will have to find ways to beat SEC teams on the road. Our top priority however is to re-learn how to defend our home court. The CAVE has been a very difficult place for any team to play in the past, and we have not protected our home court the way we should have. To be successful in the SEC you must win at home when you have the advantage.
The Tide has faced all but three of its 2009 opponents. Alabama will take on Fresno State, San Francisco and SMU for the first time in its program history.
"Our goal is to compete for the SEC Championship and to get back into the NCAA Tournament," Green added. "This schedule presents the opportunities to accomplish both goals."
2009 Alabama Volleyball Schedule
**Times are Tentative**
| Date | Opponent/Event | Location | Time (CST) |
| Fri., August 28 | SLU Active Ankle Challenge | St. Louis, Mo. |
|
|
| at SLU |
| 7:00 p.m. |
| Sat., August 29 | vs. Penn State |
| 1:00 p.m. |
|
| vs. Miami (Ohio) |
| 5:00 p.m. |
| Fri., September 4 | Bama Bash | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
|
|
| SMU vs. Jacksonville State |
| 5:00 p.m. |
|
| vs. McNeese State |
| 7:00 p.m. |
| Sat., September 5 | McNeese State vs. SMU |
| 11:00 a.m. |
|
| vs. Jacksonville State |
| 1:00 p.m. |
|
| Jacksonville State vs. McNeese State |
| 5:00 p.m. |
|
| vs. SMU |
| 7:00 p.m. |
| Fri., September 11 | Sacramento State Tournament | Sacramento, Calif. |
|
|
| vs. Fresno State |
| 7:00 p.m. |
| Sat., September 12 | vs. San Francisco |
| Noon |
|
| vs. Sacramento State |
| 9:30 p.m. |
| Fri., September 18 | Georgia | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sun., September 20 | Auburn | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 1:30 p.m. |
| Fri., September 25 | at South Carolina | Columbia, S.C. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Sun., September 27 | at Florida | Gainesville, Fla. | 12:30 p.m. |
| Wed., September 30 | Mississippi State | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Fri., October 2 | LSU | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Fri., October 9 | at Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sun., October 11 | at Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. | 1:30 p.m. |
| Fri., October 16 | Tennessee | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sun., October 18 | Kentucky | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 1:30 p.m. |
| Fri., October 23 | at Auburn | Auburn, Ala. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sun., October 25 | at Georgia | Athens, Ga. | 12:30 p.m. |
| Fri., October 30 | Florida | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sun., November 1 | South Carolina | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 1:30 p.m. |
| Fri., November 6 | at Kentucky | Lexington, Ky. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Sun., November 8 | at Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | 12:30 p.m. |
| Fri., November 13 | Ole Miss | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sun., November 15 | Arkansas | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 1:30 p.m. |
| Sun., November 22 | at LSU | Baton Rouge, La. | 1:30 p.m. |
| Fri., November 27 | at Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | 7:00 p.m. |
