Volleyball Opens 2010 Season at Hawkeye Challenge on Friday
8/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 26, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team will begin its 2010 season Friday when it travels to Iowa City, Iowa, to participate in the Hawkeye Challenge Aug. 27-29. The Crimson Tide will take on home institution Iowa at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Green Bay at 4:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, and Southern Illinois at 11:30 a.m. CT on Sunday.
"This group is ready to play somebody else besides each other," Alabama head coach Judy Green said. "We need to see a team on the other side of the net that does different things than we do. I want to see how we make adjustments to that. We are ready for game day."
Alabama and Iowa have met twice previously, with the Tide taking both meetings. The most recent match between the two teams was in 2008, as Alabama took down the Hawkeyes 3-1 in the CAVE. Iowa is coming off a 13-19 record, hitting .176 a season ago. The Hawkeyes lost their top two hitters from last season, as Megan Schipper graduated and Aimee Huffman was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. Iowa has set school home attendance records in each of head coach Sharon Dingman's first two seasons.
"I have seen a lot of leadership take place over the last five days," Green added. "The returning players have helped the younger players understand what it is to travel and take a trip away from campus, but also walk into a hostile environment. We know Iowa will be prepared and will be fired up."
This will be the Tide's first match against Green Bay. The Phoenix finished last season with a record of 10-20, hitting .193 and getting out-blocked 209.5-177. The Phoenix lost its top two hitters from a year ago, but does return its leader in both assists and digs.
Alabama has faced Southern Illinois twice in the past, with each team winning once. The Tide took the first meeting in 1977 2-0, but fell 3-1 in 1990. The Salukis compiled an 18-12 record last season, opening with an 11-match winning streak, the best start in school history. Southern Illinois has a veteran squad this season, returning all but one starter plus the libero from last year.
"We need to make sure the focus stays on us, and we do the things that we are really good at doing," Green stated. "We just need to take care of the volleyball. It is extremely important that we do that in order to be successful."
