Volleyball Hosts Alabama A&M on Tuesday
9/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 6, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The volleyball team (4-2) returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 7 when it hosts Alabama A&M (2-4) at 7 p.m. CT in the CAVE. The Crimson Tide enters the match fresh off its Bama Bash title where Alabama went 3-0 defeating Toledo, Furman and UAB. The Bulldogs are coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Jaguar Classic in Mobile, Ala., where they posted wins over UNC-Asheville and South Alabama.
"Having this short turnaround time will be a good test to see how we react as it is similar to how match play will be once we enter the SEC portion of our schedule," Alabama head coach Judy Green said. "We are excited to hit the court again on Tuesday for our next match."
The Tide showed much improvement from the first weekend of competition to the Bama Bash as Alabama knocked off the Rockets and Paladins in three sets and the Blazers in four sets. The Tide combined to hit .300 for the tournament where it averaged 15.1 kills per set. After collecting just 4.0 total blocks in the first tournament, Alabama racked up 20.0 in the Bama Bash for an average of 2.0 per set. In addition, the Tide registered 17 service aces in the three matches.
Redshirt sophomore Leigh Moyer and sophomore Kelsey Anderson were both named to the Bama Bash All-Tournament Team, with Anderson garnering MVP honors. Moyer had the match of her career against UAB where she collected 12 kills and zero attack errors for an overall hitting percentage of .923. Anderson scooped up 55 digs throughout the tournament in addition to six assists, two service aces and one kill. Both senior Alyssa Meuth and sophomore Kayla Fitterer recorded 33 kills total, while senior Kayla Schmidt was the Tide's leader in assists with 73.
After going winless in its opening tournament, Alabama A&M picked up a pair of victories with a 3-1 win over South Alabama and a five-set win over UNC-Asheville at the Jaguar Classic. In the Bulldogs win over the Jaguars, sophomore Clarissa Moore tacked on a team-high 14 kills, while senior Rose Corneille added a match-best 21 digs. In the Bulldogs' second win, it would be junior Karensa Beckford leading the team in kills with 18. Once again Corneille was Alabama A&M's top defender collecting 20 digs against UNC-Asheville. Both Moore and Beckford were named to the Jaguar Classic All-Tournament Team.
Tuesday's match marks the fifth overall meeting between Alabama and Alabama A&M with all four previous contests going in favor of the Tide by 3-0 decisions. The two teams first met in 2004 and most recently met last season.
Season tickets are still available for $30 and can be purchased at the door this week in addition to online or the Alabama Ticket Office at 1.877.TIDETIX (843-3849). Single match tickets are available 90 minutes prior to the start of the match at the door. The cost is $3 for adults and free for students as well as youth ages 18 and under. For those unable to attend, live scoring will be available here.
