Volleyball Travels to Starkville for Sunday Match Against Bulldogs
11/18/2011 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 18, 2011
Match Notes: Mississippi State 
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Crimson Tide (11-18, 4-14 SEC) will have six days off before traveling to Starkville, Miss., for a Sunday afternoon match against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The match on Nov. 20, is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m., from the Newell-Grissom Building. Mississippi State won the first meeting of the season, 3-0, when the teams played in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Sept. 30.
Alabama (11-18, 4-14 SEC) at Mississippi State (11-16, 6-12 SEC)
November 20, 2011 | Starkville, Miss. | Newell-Grissom Bldg. | 1:30 p.m. CT
TV: None |Audio: None | Live Stats: RollTide.com | Video: mstateathletics.com
FOLLOW THE TIDE ONLINE
For this week's road volleyball match, fans can follow the action live on the host school's website. When the Tide takes on Mississippi State, there will be live stats and a webcast available on mstateathletics.com. Fans can access the live stats and video links through the volleyball schedule page on the Mississippi State athletics website. Live stats are a free service while the video option is part of the school's subscription package.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Leigh Moyer is coming off a week that saw the junior post 14 total kills against Kentucky and Tennessee to average 2.33 kills per set. Moyer had just four errors on 30 swings last week, to post a team-high .333 hitting percentage in the two matches. Moyer is fourth in the team with 167 kills (1.59 kps), while hitting a team-high .289 this season. Additionally, she continues to lead the team with 60 total blocks (7 solos, 53 assisted) to average 0.57 blocks per set. Moyer is one of three players on the roster to play all 105 sets this season. She's collected 212.5 points this season to average 2.02 points per set.
Kayla Fitterer CLOSING IN ON 1,000 CAREER KILLS
Junior outside hitter Kayla Fitterer enters the final two matches of the 2011 season with 958 career kills in 79 matches played at the Capstone. Fitterer is 42 kills away from becoming the 13th player in school history to reach the 1,000-kill milestone. With 1,158 attempts this season, she is 42 attempts from passing Bridget Fuentez for 10th on the Alabama single-season attempts list. The 1,158 attempts this season brings her career total to 2,940 as she ranks ninth in school history in career attempts. She needs 90 more attempts to pass Jennifer Bibber's (2000-03) 3,029 attempts for eighth place.
SCOUTING THE MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS
Mississippi State enters the week with an 11-16 overall record, and is 6-12 in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs are in third place in the SEC Western Division. In its most recent match, MSU posted a 3-0 win over Auburn on Nov. 13, to snap an eight-match losing streak against conference foes.
The Bulldogs average 12.32 kills per set, while hitting .201 as a team to rank ninth and 10th, respectively, in the SEC. Opponents are hitting .227 against MSU, while the Bulldogs average 2.33 blocks per set, which are fourth in the conference. Caitlin Rance averages 4.16 kills per set to rank second in the SEC and 31st in the nation. Hannah Wilkinson is ninth in the SEC with a team-high .312 hitting percentage. Lainey Wyman adds 2.34 kills per set and ranks fourth in the SEC with 1.02 blocks per set. In the back row, Hillary Parker leads the team with 3.44 digs per set, to rank ninth in the conference, and setter Paris Perret is fifth in the SEC with 10.31 assists per frame.
Sunday will mark the 57th meeting between Alabama and Mississippi State in volleyball. The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series 40-16. Following a 3-0 loss to the Bulldogs on Sept. 30, Alabama has won six of the last 10 overall. Alabama is 14-12 all-time in matches played at in Starkville, but has dropped three of the last five played on the MSU campus.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST WEEK
Alabama dropped to 11-18 overall and 4-14 in Southeastern Conference play, following back-to-back three-set home losses to No. 18 Kentucky and No. 15 Tennessee last week. Both Kentucky and Tennessee swept the season series over the Crimson Tide. In Alabama's, 20-25, 22-25, 20-25, loss to the Wildcats, Stephanie Riley notched her 10th career double-double with 26 assists and 15 digs, and Kayla Fitterer posted a match-high 13 kills and a .324 hitting percentage. Against Tennessee, UA was defeated 17-25, 14-25, 13-25, as Leigh Moyer paced the Tide with eight kills and a .583 hitting mark.
OTHER NOTABLES FROM LAST WEEK
Kayla Fitterer led Alabama with 19 kills (3.17 kps) in the two matches, including a match-high 13 on Friday night against Kentucky. Fitterer leads the team with 374 kills (4.02 kps), to rank third in the SEC. Her 415.5 points (4.47 pps) are also third in the conference.
Leigh Moyer finished the week with 14 kills (2.33 kps) after posting a team-high eight against Tennessee. Moyer had a .583 hitting percentage against the Lady Vols, posting eight kills on 12 swings with one error. She finished the week hitting .333 and continues to lead the squad with a .289 hitting mark this season. Moyer also leads the team with 60 total blocks.
Andrea McQuaid added 13 kills and 12 digs last week, bringing her season totals to 204 and 276, respectively. McQuaid is third on the team in total kills and second overall in digs, and averages 1.94 kills, 4.76 assists and 2.63 digs per set on the year.
Stephanie Riley recorded team-highs with 46 assists and 22 digs last week. Riley notched her ninth double-double of the season, the 10th of her career, with 26 assists and 15 digs against Kentucky on Friday night. The senior now has 1,893 assists in her career to rank sixth all-time at Alabama.
Katherine White had eight kills in the two matches to average 1.33 kills per set, and led the Tide with three total blocks. White has 51 total blocks this season and leads the team with 0.62 blocks per set.
Cristina Arenas had 22 digs (3.67 dps) in the two matches to tie Riley for team-high honors last week. Arenas led Alabama with 16 digs in the match against Kentucky. This season, Arenas leads the team with 346 total digs to average 3.39 digs per set.
TWITTER, FACEBACK AND YOUTUBE
In addition to RollTide.com, Alabama volleyball can be followed on Twitter (@AlabamaVBall) and Facebook (facebook.com/AlabamaVBall). Additionally, video content will be available on the Alabama women's volleyball YouTube channel (youtube.com/AlabamaVBall).
NEXT WEEK FOR THE TIDE
Next week, the Alabama volleyball team will wrap up its 2011 season with a road match against the Mississippi Rebels on Friday, Nov. 25. The match between the Crimson Tide and Rebels is slated for a 7 p.m., first serve from the Gillom Sports Center. Alabama won the first match this season, 3-1, when the teams played in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 28.
