Volleyball Opens SEC Play this Weekend
9/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team (2-8) kicks off Southeastern Conference play this weekend when it hosts Georgia (8-2) and Auburn (8-3). The Crimson Tide will face off with the Bulldogs Friday at 6:00 p.m. (CST) before taking on the rival Tigers Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (CST). Sunday's match will be broadcast live on CSS.
"Coming off of the California trip it was clear to us what we really needed to get better at," said head coach Judy Green. "This week we've had a couple days of tough practices with the players working really hard to make improvements. I know they want to start out strong in conference play on our home court. We are hungry to win."
Last time out, Alabama suffered a trio of losses, two of which were five setters, at the Hornet Invitational in Sacramento, Calif. The Tide opened the tournament with a 3-2 (25-16, 28-26, 16-25, 20-25, 16-14) loss to Fresno State on Friday night. On Saturday, Alabama dropped another 3-2 (25-18, 14-25, 24-26, 27-25, 15-5) decision, this time coming to the hands of San Francisco and closed out the tournament with a 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-22) loss to Sacramento State. Despite the losses, the Tide had a stellar weekend at the net recording 15 blocks on two occasions for a total of 39 throughout the weekend. Freshman Kelsey Anderson notched a season-high 17 digs against San Francisco. Anderson also made her first start at libero in that match for the crimson and white and was named an All-Tournament player.
The Bulldogs make their first trip outside of the Eastern Time Zone this season to take on Alabama Friday and Mississippi State on Sunday. The Tide leads the series history 22-18 and won the last matchup by a score of 3-2. The Bulldogs are led by junior Erika Clark with 3.22 kills per set, sophomore Kathleen Gates with 9.78 assist per set and sophomore Caria Tietz with 3.65 digs per set.
Alabama leads the overall series with Auburn as well with a 42-24 mark. The previous meeting that took place last November resulted in a 3-1 win in favor of the Tide. The Tigers are led by junior outside hitter Morgan Johns with 2.73 kills per set and current SEC freshman of the Week, Katherine Culwell with 2.36 digs per set.
The first 150 fans at Friday's match will receive an Alabama mini volleyball. It is also First Responders Night in the CAVE where those presenting a police, fire or rescue ID will receive free admission. In addition, Alabama will be collecting canned goods for the "SEC Together we CAN" drive, and those who bring a canned good will be admitted for $1.
Sunday's match has been deemed Youth Day and Sunday Fun Day in the CAVE. Inflatables will be on hand for the children to play in and the team will be available for autographs following the match. The "SEC Together we CAN" drive will continue admitting those who bring a canned good for $1.
Regular admission to a volleyball match is $3 for adults and free for children 12 and under and University of Alabama students. The door will open 90 minutes prior to the start of the match.
In addition to Sunday's match being televised on CSS, radio, web streaming and live scoring will be available and can be found by clicking here.
