Volleyball Opens 2009 Home Slate on Tuesday
8/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 31, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team (0-3) will look to pick up its first win of 2009 Tuesday when it hosts Alabama A&M (0-3) at 7:00 p.m. (CST) in the CAVE. The Crimson Tide kicked off its season last weekend in St. Louis, Mo. at the Active Ankle Challenge where it went 0-3 against No. 1 Penn State, No. 20 Saint Louis and Miami (Ohio).
"It is going to be great to play at home in front of our fans," said head coach Judy Green. "I am eager to see our response to the experiences we had over the weekend."
Alabama has been dominant in the series with Alabama A&M winning all three of the previous meetings in 3-0 fashion. The two teams last met on August 26, 2006 at the Academy Sports Invitational in Tuscaloosa.
The Bulldogs opened their season on August 28 at the Auburn University Tournament and finished with a 0-3 record. In the first of three matches, Alabama A&M suffered a 3-0 loss to the Tigers and followed that up with a 3-1 loss to UAB. Auburn handed the Bulldogs another 3-0 defeat Saturday to wrap up the tournament. Junior Rose Corneille and freshman Clarissa Moore were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Alabama spent its first weekend of 2009 in St. Louis at the Active Ankle Challenge where the Tide came out 0-3. Despite the outcome, Alabama was able to learn a lot about itself and had the opportunity to get the student-athletes more comfortable with each other in match situations. Senior Brooks Webster led the Tide in kills with 22 total throughout the three-match tournament, while redshirt sophomore Sarah Machen had a hand in 12 of Alabama's 23 blocks. Freshman Kayla Fitterer had a solid all-around performance tallying 13 kills off 40 attack attempts, 15 digs and four blocks.
The Tide continues play at home this weekend when it hosts the Bama Bash Friday, Sept. 4 and Saturday, Sept. 5. In addition to Alabama, Jacksonville State, McNeese State and SMU will all be participating in the six-match tournament. The Tide's first appearance will be on Friday at 7:00 p.m. (CST) when it takes on SMU. Season tickets are still available for $30 and can be purchased at the door this week in addition to clicking here or calling the Alabama Ticket Office at 1-877-TIDETIX (843-3849). Single match tickets are available 90 minutes prior to the start of the match at the door. The cost is $3 for adults and free for students and youth ages 18 and under.
