Volleyball Concludes Road Weekend Sunday at South Carolina
11/8/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
THE MATCHUP
Alabama (19-6, 7-4 SEC) concludes its road weekend in Columbia, S.C., facing the South Carolina Gamecocks (15-9, 5-6 SEC) on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. CT live on the SEC Network.
THE TIDE ON THE AIR
Video - SEC Network (WatchESPN.com or WatchESPN app)
Audio - Audio Stream at Rolltide.com
SCOUTING ALABAMA
Alabama (19-6, 7-4 SEC) - Alabama suffered its first three-set loss on Friday, falling to No.7 Florida in Gainesville. Offensively, Alabama is led by Krystal Rivers (406, 4.19/set) and Kat Hutson (339, 3.68/set) who rank second and fourth in the conference, respectively. Pacing the offense is junior setter Sierra Wilson, who leads the SEC and ranks eighth nationally with 1,122 assists (11.50/set). Junior middle blocker Bruna Evangelista leads the team with a .353 hitting percentage while fellow middle Leah Lawrence owns a team-leading 95 blocks (0.98/set). On defense, freshman libero Natalie Murison leads the team with 278 digs (2.87/set).
LAST TIME OUT: VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO FLORIDA, 3-0, FRIDAY IN GAINESVILLE
Fresh off the team's first Top 25 win since 2007, Alabama could not make it two-straight ranked wins as the Crimson Tide fell to Florida, 3-0, on the road Friday night. Alabama was limited to a season-low .169 hitting percentage while Florida hit .360 as a team, led by Alex Holston with 16 kills and a .600 hitting percentage. Krystal Rivers led the Tide offense with 12 kills and four blocks, while Brittany Thomas was close behind with eight kills and seven digs. Sierra Wilson set 26 assists with Katherine White and Leah Lawrence stuffing three blocks each at the middle.
TACKLING THE TOP 25
Alabama's win over No. 23 Texas A&M was a historic victory for the program, marking the team's first win over a Top 25 opponent since defeating No. 13 Ohio, 3-2, on Sept. 7, 2007. It was also Alabama's first win over a Top 25 SEC team since defeating No. 18 Tennessee on Oct. 15, 2006. Since the Alabama Volleyball program was reinstated in 1988, the Tide have won six games over Top 25 SEC opponents, the first of which came on Nov. 22, 2002 against No. 18 South Carolina at the SEC Championship Tournament. The highest-ranked SEC opponent Alabama has ever beat was No. 10 LSU on Oct. 8, 2006. The five ranked victories since South Carolina in 2002 have all come at home.
RECORD PACE
Last season, Alabama tied a school record for wins in the modern era with 24, the most since 1995. While that record took nearly a decade to reach, the Tide already have a chance to break that record this season. Alabama currently has 19 wins with seven matches remaining in the 2015 regular season. Of the seven remaining opponents, Alabama has already played five of them earlier this season and holds a 4-1 record against them. The Tide's combined win total of 43 from last season and this season is already the third-most in school history for any two-year span since the program was reinstated in 1988, only two shy of the record total of 45 from 1994 and 1995.
Kat Hutson NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Freshman Kat Hutson was one key component in Alabama's big win over No. 23 Texas A&M on Friday, and she was recognized for her efforts by the Southeastern Conference as they named her the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday. Hutson knocked in 25 kills in the five-set win, which is her second-highest total of the season, only trailing the 27 she scored in the first meeting with the Aggies earlier this season. Her 25 kills came on 57 swings with just four errors, earning a .368 hitting percentage that is her third-highest total in SEC play. The match was Hutson's eighth-straight with double-digit kills. So far this season, Hutson has 333 kills (3.74/set) and a .270 hitting percentage along with 34 blocks. 177 of those kills have come in conference play, where she is hitting .274. She has started in 23 of the Tide's 24 matches this season, playing 89 sets. This is Hutson's first career conference honor and the first SEC Freshman of the Week award for Alabama this season. Redshirt sophomore Krystal Rivers has won three SEC Offensive Player of the Week awards this season as well.
ALABAMA RECEIVING VOTES IN AVCA POLL, NO. 26 IN RPI
The big win over No. 23 Texas A&M helped boost Alabama in both the AVCA coaches' poll and the NCAA RPI this week. Alabama regained a spot in the AVCA coaches' poll, receiving eight votes to place six spots outside the Top 25. Texas A&M dropped out of the Top 25 this week and owns the top spot in the receiving votes category, while No. 7 Florida and No. 17 Kentucky represent the SEC in the Top 25. This is the fourth poll this season in which Alabama has received votes. The Crimson Tide also moved up three spots in the NCAA RPI from No. 29 last week to No. 26 this week. Alabama is fifth among SEC teams, trailing Florida (10), Kentucky (11), Texas A&M (17) and LSU (25).
2014 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
- Alabama defeated No. 23 Texas A&M, 3-2, on Oct. 31, earning the team's first Top 25 win since 2007 and the team's first Top 25 win over an SEC opponent since 2006.
- Kat Hutson was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 3 for her performance against Texas A&M. It was her first career weekly conference honor and the fourth overall for Alabama this season.
- Krystal Rivers was named Preseason All-SEC, earned back-to-back SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 22 and Sept. 29 and then a third time on Oct. 27.
- Alabama received Top 25 votes for the first time in school history on Sept. 29, appearing five spots outside the Top 25 in the Week Five AVCA poll.
- Alabama set a new Foster Auditorium volleyball attendance record vs. LSU on Sept. 28, as 1,749 fans packed in to watch the Crimson Tide defeat the Tigers in four sets. This beats the previous record of 1,670 set on Sept. 14, 2012 against LSU.
- The Tide won three tournament titles during the preseason, winning the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic on opening weekend in St. Louis, the ISTAP Collegiate Cup 2 in Montgomery, Ala., and the Crimson-White Tournament in Tuscaloosa.
- Alabama returns nine players from last year's squad while welcoming eight newcomers.
NEXT TIME OUT: ALABAMA VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE (ESPNU)
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Alabama returns home to host Mississippi State (6-21, 1-11 SEC) with the match set to start at 5 p.m. CT. The match will be aired live on ESPNU and streamed online at WatchESPN.com and via the WatchESPN app.
