Alabama
Georgia
Volleyball Sweeps Georgia in SEC Opener
9/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 18, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team won its conference opener in convincing fashion, defeating Georgia 3-0 (29-27, 25-14, 25-15), ending its six-match win streak, in the CAVE Friday night. The win moves the Crimson Tide to 3-8 on the season and 1-0 against Southeastern Conference opponents, while the Bulldogs dip to 8-3 overall and 0-1 in league play.
"It was a great way to start conference play," said head coach Judy Green. "Our players came out with a winning mentality tonight. We've said together this week as a team that we believe in each other and we believe in our system. I thought we played one of the best SEC opening matches that has been played at Alabama in a long time."
Sophomore Ashley Frazier and junior Alyssa Meuth led the match with 15 kills and 13 kills, respectively. Frazier also led Alabama with 11 digs. Junior Kayla Schmidt topped the Tide in assists with 24.
In the first set, redshirt sophomore Sarah Machen got on the board first for Alabama with a kill to tie it up at 1-1. After falling behind early, the Tide rattled off four straight points, including two kills from redshirt freshman Leigh Moyer, to get within one of the Bulldogs and eventually tied the set at 10-10. Georgia went back on top the next play, but Alabama would then score a pair of points to take its first advantage of the set. After four addition ties, the Bulldogs grabbed hold of the lead at 18-17 and went in front by as many as three down the stretch. With Georgia leading 23-20, the Tide put together a string of four points to jump back on top forcing the Red and Black to take a timeout. The end of the set went back and forth until a pair of Frazier kills sealed the win for Alabama at 29-27.
The Tide carried its momentum from the first into the second set scoring three quick points from the start. The Bulldogs then followed with a kill and an ace to pull within one, but Alabama responded with a trio of points. Following another quick threat from Georgia, the Tide put together a 7-0 scoring run to distance itself from the Bulldogs for good. Alabama stayed ahead the entire set wrapping it up by a score of 25-14.
Schmidt got the scoring started in the third with her second service ace of the match. Georgia quickly responded with a kill and kept close behind the Tide until eventually tying the set at 11-11. Five quick points for Alabama sent the set out of reach for the Bulldogs as the Tide went on a 14-4 run to close out the match. Frazier delivered the final blow with a huge solo block to give Alabama the 25-15 win.
Next up, Alabama faces off against in-state rival Auburn Sunday at 1:00 pm (CST). The match will be televised live on CSS.
