Alabama
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Mississippi State
Alabama Volleyball Hosts Mississippi State Wednesday Night on ESPNU
10/11/2016 3:12:00 PM | Volleyball
THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Oct. 12 vs. Mississippi State (11-8, 3-2 SEC)
8 p.m. CT - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Foster Auditorium
ESPNU
FOLLOW THE TIDE
- Live Video: ESPNU / WatchESPN.com
- Live Stats: rolltide.com
- Twitter: @AlabamaVBall
SCOUTING ALABAMA (13-5, 2-3 SEC)
- Alabama is coming off its second-straight loss, falling to Auburn last Sunday on the road, 3-1.
- Krystal Rivers' career kills total now sits at 1,841, which is 249 shy of Erin Heffner's (2001-04) career record of 2,090. Rivers is averaging 5.69 kills per set this season, which is the highest rate of her career and currently ranks second all-time at Alabama. Her career average is at 4.25 kills per set, which is also third in Tide history.
- Rivers leads the SEC in kills (377, 5.71/set) and is sixth in service aces (25, 0.38/set) while Shannon Mikesky ranks fourth in assists (690, 10.78/set) and Hayley McSparin ranks 10th in hitting percentage (.341).
- Alabama's team hitting percentage of .241 ranks sixth all-time at Alabama. Among the top six team hitting percentages in program history, three of those have come under Ed Allen, including the fourth-place mark of .254 set in 2013 and the school-record mark of .264 set in 2014.
THE OPPONENT
Mississippi State Bulldogs
- Southeastern Conference
- 2016 Record: 11-8 (3-2 SEC)
- Head Coach: David McFatrich (second season)
- Record at Mississippi State: 28-23
2016 Stat Leaders:
- Attack Pct. - Jazmyne Johnson - .319
- Kills - Evie Grace Singleton - 293
- Assists - Blossom Sato - 532
- Blocks - Jazmyne Johnson - 90
- Aces - Evie Grace Singleton - 33
- Digs - Payton Harris – 227
ALABAMA VS. THE OPPONENT
- 46-17 vs. Mississippi State
- Current Streak: Mississippi State 1
- First Meeting: Oct. 18, 1974 (Columbus, Miss. - MUW Tournament) - Auburn 2, Mississippi State 0
- Last Meeting: Oct. 2, 2016 (Starkville, Miss.) - Mississippi State 3, Alabama 2
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA FALLS IN FOUR SETS AT AUBURN
- Alabama 1, Auburn 3 Alabama volleyball fell in four sets on the road against Auburn Sunday afternoon by set scores of 19-25, 25-21, 19-25 and 19-25. Alabama dropped the opening set before evening the match with a 25-21 win in the second. Auburn came out of intermission and won back-to-back sets by scores of 25-19 to secure the four-set victory, snapping a five-match winning streak by the Tide over the Tigers. Abolanle Onipede ended the match with a season-high 10 kills and .533 hitting percentage while Leah Lawrence tied a career high with four aces. Shannon Mikesky notched her eighth double-double of the season with 41 assists and 12 digs.
RIVERS IN THE RECORD BOOKS
As Krystal Rivers nears the end of her Crimson Tide career, the fifth-year senior is poised to finish among the top 10 in numerous career categories at Alabama. With 1,841 kills, she is 249 away from tying Erin Heffner's (2001-04) school record of 2,090. Similarly, she is only 241.5 points away from tying Heffner's career record of 2,391.5.
Krystal Rivers Career Rankings at Alabama
- Kills - 2nd (1,841)
- Points - 2nd (2,150)
- Kills per set - 3rd (4.25)
- Points per set - 3rd (4.97)
- Attack Percent - 4th (.324)
- Attacks - 5th (3,964)
- Solo Blocks - 7th (61)
- Block Assists - 7th (268)
- Total Blocks - 8th (329)
ALABAMA IN SEC PLAY UNDER ED ALLEN
Alabama has seen unprecedented success in the SEC under head coach Ed Allen, posting double-digit win totals in each of the last three years, the longest such stretch in program history. Prior to Allen's arrival in 2011, Alabama had only won 10 or more games in conference play six times since the program was reinstated in 1989. With 48 SEC wins, Allen is just two wins away from his 50th conference victory. Former head coach Judy Green (1996-2010) is the only other coach in program history with at least 50 conference wins, though she did not hit that mark until her eighth season, while Allen is currently in his sixth.
ALABAMA IN THE RPI
Alabama is ranked No. 39 in the latest RPI rankings, released Monday by the NCAA. The Tide is ranked fifth among SEC teams, trailing Florida (9), Kentucky (17), Missouri (27) and Texas A&M (36). Alabama has faced four teams ranked in the top 50 so far this season with a 2-2 record against them, including wins over Texas A&M (36) and Temple (48).
NEXT TIME OUT: VS. MISSOURI
Alabama (13-5, 2-3 SEC) vs. Missouri (15-3, 6-0 SEC)
Sunday, Oct. 16 - 1:30 p.m. CT
Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Foster Auditorium
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