Volleyball Set to Host Crimson-White Tournament
9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
THIS WEEKEND
Alabama hosts the Crimson-White Tournament, welcoming Florida International, San Diego State and Clemson in for two days of matches beginning on Friday, Sept. 19.
SCHEDULE (All Times Central)
Friday, Sept. 19
Noon - Alabama vs. FIU
2:30 p.m. - San Diego State vs. Clemson
7 p.m. - Alabama vs. San Diego State
Saturday, Sept. 20
Noon - FIU vs. Clemson
3:30 p.m. - FIU vs. San Diego State
7 p.m. - Alabama vs. Clemson
THE TIDE ON THE AIR
Watch: SEC Network+ via WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app
SCOUTING ALABAMA
Alabama (9-2, 0-0 SEC) - Alabama made its home debut last Tuesday with a sweep over UAB, marking the Crimson Tide's fourth-straight sweep of the season. Krystal Rivers led the Tide with 17 kills in that match, as she leads the team and ranks third in the SEC with 165 kills (4.02/set) this season. Rivers also leads the SEC in aces, scoring one in the UAB match to raise her season total to 23. On the opposite end of the net, freshman Kat Huson is having a breakout freshman season with 123 kills (3.42/set), starting every match this season. Sophomore Brittany Thomas has been a versatile option, ranking third on the team with 97 kills (2.37/set), tying for the team lead in digs with 98 (2.39/set) and ranking fourth with 27 blocks. Junior Bruna Evangelista leads the team with a .411 hitting percentage and is second with 37 blocks, trailing fellow middle blocker Leah Lawrence's 45 while the freshman is hitting a solid .364 on the year.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA MAKES HOME DEBUT WITH SWEEP OVER UAB
In front of an audience of 890 fans at its home opener, Alabama impressed with a 3-0 sweep over in-state foe UAB at Foster Auditorium. Alabama earned its fourth-straight sweep, downing UAB by an average margin of 9.6 points per set, including a 25-11 victory in set two that is tied for the largest margin of victory for the Crimson Tide this season. Redshirt sophomore Krystal Rivers continued to impress, posting a season-high .615 hitting percentage along with a match-leading 17 kills and three block assists. Freshman Kat Hutson posted double-digit kills for a fifth-straight match, knocking in 11 along with a solo block and block assist. As a team, Alabama posted its second-highest hitting percentage of the season (.381), out-blocked the Blazers 7-3 and continued its strong play at the service line, tallying seven service aces led by Sierra Wilson with two.
FOUR-MATCH SWEEP STREAK
Tuesday's win over UAB not only marked the Tide's fourth-straight win, but its fourth-straight sweep, making it the longest such streak since Alabama swept five-straight opponents two seasons ago, from Oct. 28 through Sept. 7, 2012. Since 2004, the Tide has only swept four-straight opponents on four occasions with the longest streak of seven-straight occuring in 2005.
HOME SWEET HOME
The win over UAB extended Alabama's home-opening winning streak to six-straight seasons, as the Tide has not lost a home opener since 2008 against Western Kentucky. All six of Alabma's last home opening wins have been sweeps, with three coming against in-state opponents Alabama State (2011), Alabama A&M (2012) and UAB (2014). Over the last 10 seasons, Alabama is 7-3 in home openers, including a perfect 4-0 record under current head coach Ed Allen.
NEXT TIME OUT: GEORGIA/LSU
Next Wednesday, Sept. 24, Alabama opens conference play with a road contest against the Georgia Bulldogs (5-4). The match is set to start at 6 p.m. CT and will be aired live on the SEC Network. The following Sunday, Sept. 28, Alabama welcomes the LSU Tigers (2-4) to Foster Auditorium for a 1 p.m. match.
