Alabama
Tennessee-Martin
Volleyball Sweeps UT Martin at CenturyLink Premier
9/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 10, 2010
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Sophomore Kelsey Anderson had a match-best 19 digs and three service aces as the volleyball team earned a 3-0 (28-26, 25-21, 25-22) victory over the University of Tennessee at Martin on Friday at the CenturyLink Premier. The Crimson Tide now stands at 7-2 on the season and is amidst a six-match winning streak. The loss dips the Skyhawks to 2-7 overall.
"It was good we found a way to win after our five set match, but I was not pleased with our defensive focus or effort," Alabama head coach Judy Green said. "We need to recommit ourselves to our defensive brand and our team's identity before we play again tomorrow."
Both senior Alyssa Meuth and sophomore Kayla Fitterer collected double-digit kills in the match with 12 and 10, respectively. Senior Kayla Schmidt dished out a team-high 22 assists, while senior Calli Johnson recorded five block assists for the second time on Friday.
The opening set went back and forth in the early stages before Alabama was able to string together a 12-6 run to pull in front 17-11 causing UT Martin to burn a timeout. The Skyhawks regrouped in the break in play and came back late in the frame with a 9-3 run of their own to tie the set at 23-23. UT Martin took its first lead since 1-0 on the next possession off a kill, but a service error for the Skyhawks followed to keep the Tide alive. Again, UT Martin jumped in front by one off an attack error, however a trio of kills for Alabama awarded the Tide the 28-26 win in a very close first to take a one set lead.
The second set had very little fluctuation in the score as neither team was able to hold more than a five-point lead. With the score tied at 13-13, Alabama put up five unanswered points for the 18-13 advantage. Throughout that run, Fitterer collected two of her three service aces in the match. The Skyhawks were able to cut the deficit to one at 19-18, but the Tide would use kills from Meuth, Fitterer and freshman Shelbi Goode in the later stages to take the set 25-21.
The third was the closest of all sets throughout with 13 ties and five lead changes. Alabama was down by four early, but came back to even the score at 11-11. From there, the set seesawed until the final tie at 20-20. The Tide, then, scored three consecutive points before UT Martin was able to get another in. On the next play, a Skyhawk attack error gave Alabama match point, but a ball handing error for the Tide extended the set. Freshman Brianne Vande Griend came up big on the final play laying down a kill from Fitterer to give Alabama its second win of the day.
Neither team hit particularly well in the match as the Tide finished with an overall percentage of .185, while UT Martin ended up with a .109 clip. Alabama recorded seven service aces in the match compared to the Skyhawks' four and also led in blocks, 6.0-4.0.
Alabama will play its final match of the CenturyLink Premier Saturday when it takes on Texas State at 2 p.m. CT. The host Bobcats took down UT Martin 3-0 earlier on Friday and will face North Texas Friday night. For tournament information, including live scoring, click here.
