Volleyball Hosts Mississippi State in Midweek Matchup
9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 29, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team (5-9, 3-1 SEC) returns home this week after making its first road trip in SEC play, hosting Mississippi State (4-11, 0-4 SEC) on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. (CST).
"It's a very different week for us in terms of preparation because when you play your travel partner, you have a very short turn-around from when you played the previous Sunday," said head coach Judy Green. "I think for us, there are two aspects of our game that we need to focus on heading into this week. One, we need to concentrate and become a better serving team. I think the second thing is that we have to be able to take our serving strategy and get it consistent with our defensive plan."
Last weekend, the Crimson Tide hit the road for its first conference matches of the 2009 season away from the CAVE. Alabama was able to outlast South Carolina in Columbia on Friday, claiming a dramatic 3-2 (25-23, 14-25, 18-25, 26-24, 15-9) victory. However, the Tide could not carry that momentum into Sunday in Gainesville. The Gators, ranked No. 5 in the nation, swept Alabama 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-14). The loss was the first loss for the Tide in conference action. Junior Alyssa Meuth and sophomore Ashley Frazier led the offensive attack for the weekend. Each tied a career high in kills against South Carolina with Meuth collecting 18 and Frazier 17, and both tallied seven more kills in the match against Florida. Junior Kayla Schmidt notched a total of 45 assists in the two matches, while freshman Kelsey Anderson totaled 24 digs on the weekend en route to being named SEC Freshman of the Week.
Alabama leads the all-time series with the Bulldogs 38-13, and Mississippi State has not won in Tuscaloosa since 1998. The Bulldogs are still looking for their first conference win of the season. In their first four matches against SEC competition, they have only been able to win one set. Of their four wins this season, only one has come away from Starkville. Mississippi State is led by sophomore Ashley Newsome, who has recorded 172 kills and 53 blocks so far this season.
The Tide will remain home for its next match, a Friday night showdown with SEC Western Division co-leader LSU (9-4, 3-1 SEC). The match will begin at 7:00 p.m. (CST) and will be broadcast live on Fox Sports South.
