Volleyball Heads to Lexington to Take on No. 13 Kentucky
10/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
ALABAMA NOTES | KENTUCKY NOTES
THIS WEEK
Alabama (14-2, 2-0 SEC) plays its first ranked opponent of the season, traveling to Lexington, Ky., to take on the 13th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (12-2, 2-0 SEC) on Friday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. CT
THE TIDE ON THE AIR
Video - SEC Network + on WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app
Audio - Audio Stream on Rolltide.com
SCOUTING ALABAMA
Alabama (14-2, 2-0 SEC) - Alabama is currently riding a nine-match winning streak, which has helped the Crimson Tide earn votes in the latest AVCA coaches poll for the first time in school history. A key component during the first half of the season has been Krystal Rivers, the winner of back-to-back SEC Offensive Player of the Week awards. The redshirt sophomore leads the SEC and ranks eighth nationally in both kills (263) and aces (29). Junior setter Sierra Wilson has guided the potent offense, leading the SEC and ranking fourth nationally with 685 assists, an average of 11.42 per set. Freshman Kat Hutson and sophomore Brittany Thomas are also in triple-digit kills with 179 and 151, respectively, while Thomas is third on the team in digs (141), trailing only freshman Natalie Murison (157) and junior Kryssi Daniels (142). Up front, Leah Lawrence and Bruna Evangelista lead the team with 62 and 52 blocks, respectively, while Evangelista is hitting a team-leading .374 on offense.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA BATTLES TO FOUR-SET WIN OVER LSU
Alabama and LSU battled in front of a raucous Foster Auditorium crowd Sunday afternoon, with the Crimson Tide gutting out a lengthy fourth set to earn the 3-1 win over the Tigers. The 35-33 victory in the fourth set is the most points by Alabama this season and the most since scoring 26 against Clemson on Sept. 20, 2013. Krystal Rivers led the offense with 26 kills, notching 12 digs as well for her fifth double-double of the season. Brittany Thomas also posted a double-double, her third of the season, with 13 kills and 10 digs. Sierra Wilson set a season-high 57 assists while Bruna Evangelista scored a season-high 11 kills.
RIVERS EARNS SECOND-STRAIGHT SEC WEEKLY HONOR
Redshirt sophomore Krystal Rivers continues to impress for Alabama as she has earned her second-straight SEC Offensive Player of the Week award, announced by the conference office Monday. Rivers led the offense in kills for the second-straight week, posting 22 last Wednesday against Georgia and 26 on Sunday against LSU. The 26 kills against the Tigers are her highest in a four-set match so far this season. She also played a key role on defense, posting double-digit digs in each match to earn her fourth and fifth double-doubles of the season. Her 12 digs in the weekend finale against LSU are a new career-high. Combined over the week's two matches, she had a .400 hitting percentage, 48 kills, 22 digs and seven blocks. So far this season, Rivers leads the SEC in kills (263), aces (29) and points (317.0) and is second in kills per set (4.38) and aces per set (0.48).
VOLLEYBALL SETS NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD VS. LSU
Foster Auditorium was packed with 1,749 fans for an exciting 3-1 win over LSU on Sunday, Sept. 28, which marks a new volleyball attendance record for the Crimson Tide. This is already the second time under Head Coach Ed Allen that Alabama has broken the attendance record. Prior to Sunday, the record was 1,670 which was set against LSU on Sept. 14, 2012. That easily beat the previous best record of 1,231, set against Auburn on Nov. 9, 2010. Despite setting the record three times since 2010, the previous record of 1,227 stood for nearly as long, set originally on Nov. 12, 2003 against Auburn. Since 2011, Alabama has had eight matches with larger crowds than the 2003 record mark.
ALABAMA MAKES SCHOOL HISTORY IN LATEST AVCA COACHES POLL
A 14-2 start to the season and a perfect 2-0 record in SEC play for Alabama has grabbed the attention of the nation's coaches, as the Crimson Tide are receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll for the first time in school history. Alabama is receiving 11 votes in the latest poll, just five spots outside the Top 25. Alabama is one of four SEC teams to appear in the poll, trailing only No. 9 Florida (8-3, 2-0 SEC), No. 13 Kentucky (12-2, 2-0 SEC) and No. 21 Texas A&M (9-3, 1-0 SEC). As a team, Alabama is second in the SEC and 14th nationally with a .875 winning percentage. The Tide's play at the service line is also among the nation's best, as Alabama leads the SEC and ranks seventh nationally in service aces (108) and 10th in aces per set (1.80). Sierra Wilson leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally with 685 assists and is 13th nationally at 11.42 assists per set. Krystal Rivers, who has won back-to-back SEC Offensive Player of the Week awards, is eighth nationally in kills (263) and aces (29).
NEXT TIME OUT: ALABAMA AT TENNESSEE
Alabama continues its weekend road trip at Tennessee (7-7, 0-0 SEC), facing the Lady Vols on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 1:30 p.m. The match will be streamed live on the SEC Network +.
