White Defeats Crimson in Annual Volleyball Scrimmage
8/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 22, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team got its first chance to play in front of its fans Saturday in the CAVE at the team's annual Crimson White scrimmage where the White team came out on top 3-1. The Crimson Tide competed for just over 90 minutes with the team split into two squads.
"Overall I think this was one of the most competitive Crimson White scrimmages we have ever had," said head coach Judy Green. "There are still things we need to work on, but I thought tonight was good for them."
Unlike a typical match, the scrimmage was formatted in two sections with the first set being played to 25 points and the second to 15 points. The team was split nearly even with the Crimson squad having six members and the White having the remaining seven players. In the first set, White outlasted Crimson to take the frame 25-21 before Crimson came back to even things up with a second set win 18-16.
At intermission, senior Brooks Webster had already collected 12 kills to lead the White team's attack. Also with solid performances were freshman Kayla Fitterer, who finished with 14 kills, redshirt freshman Leigh Moyer and senior Elizabeth Salstrand.
"I think Kayla Fitterer had a great scrimmage overall," said Green. "I was also impressed with Leigh Moyer. She really showed a lot of improvement. In addition, Elizabeth Salstrand looked like a different person from last season out on the court."
For the second half of the scrimmage, the teams were split up again and assistant coaches Josh Lauer and Pavlina Steffkova were added to the White team roster. Team White dominated the final two sets winning 25-10 in the third and 25-17 in the fourth.
At the conclusion, fans were given the opportunity to meet the entire team and coaching staff before departing.
The Tide opens its regular season Friday when it travels to St. Louis, Mo. to take part in the SLU Active Ankle Challenge. Alabama's first opponent will be No. 20 Saint Louis at 7:00 p.m. (CST).
"We've got to get more comfortable with each other still," added Green. "We will use this week of practice to do just that to be prepared for our match on Friday."
