Alabama
Tennessee
Alabama Volleyball Hosts Tennessee and No. 22 Kentucky
10/27/2016 1:37:00 PM | Volleyball
THIS WEEKEND
Friday, Oct. 28 vs. Tennessee (13-8, 3-5Â SEC)
6 p.m. CT - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Foster Auditorium
SEC Network
Sunday, Oct. 30 vs. No. 22 Kentucky (16-5, 9-1 SEC)
1:30 p.m. CT - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Foster Auditorium
SEC Network+ (Online Only)
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Live Video: SEC Network (Friday), SEC Network+ (Sunday, Online Only)
Live Stats: rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaVBall
SCOUTING ALABAMA (15-7, 4-5 SEC)
- Alabama split its two matches last week on the road, sweeping Arkansas on Friday before falling to Ole Miss in four sets on Sunday.
- Krystal Rivers' career kills total now sits at 1,960 which is 130 shy of Erin Heffner's (2001-04) career record of 2,090. Rivers is averaging 6.01 kills per set this season, which is the highest rate of any player in program history. Her career average is at 4.37 kills per set, which is also third in Tide history.
- Rivers leads the SEC in kills (517, 6.01/set) and is sixth in service aces (32, 0.37/set) while Shannon Mikesky ranks fourth in assists (891, 10.87/set).
- Alabama's team hitting percentage of .244 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 OPPONENTS
Tennessee Volunteers
- Southeastern Conference
- 2016 Record: 13-8 (3-5 SEC)
- Head Coach: Rob Patrick (20th season)
- Record at Tennessee: 393-226 (.635)
Tennessee Stat Leaders
- Attack pct. – Erica Treiber - .370
- Kills - Tessa Grubbs - 226
- Assists - Sedona Hansen - 745
- Digs - Brooke Schumacher- 205
- Blocks - Raina Hembry - 71
- Aces - Bawcombe/Villano – 15
Kentucky Wildcats
- Southeastern Conference
- 2016 Record: 16-5 (9-1 SEC)
- Head Coach: Craig Skinner (12th season)
- Record at Kentucky: 266-106 (.715)
Kentucky Stat Leaders
- Attack Percentage – Kaz Brown - .366
- Kills - Leah Edmond - 289
- Assists - Olivia Dailey - 775
- Digs - Ashley Dusek - 318
- Blocks - Kaz Brown - 96
- Aces – Anni Thomasson - 18
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA SWEEPS ARKANSAS, FALLS TO OLE MISS
- Alabama 3, Arkansas 0: Alabama volleyball opened its road weekend with a three-set sweep over Arkansas by set scores of 25-22, 25-12 and 25-19. The win is head coach Ed Allen's 50th conference win at Alabama, reaching the mark faster than any coach in program history. Alabama hit .348 as a team, its highest mark in conference play, while limiting Arkansas to a .097 clip over three sets. Alabama's 44 kills were its most in a three-set match this season, led by Krystal Rivers with 25, just two shy of the entire Razorback offensive output. Rivers also tallied a season-high four service aces while Leah Lawrence added a pair as well, giving her at least one ace in five-straight matches and a total of 12 over that stretch. Shannon Mikesky earned her team-leading ninth double-double of the season as well, pacing the offense with 38 assists and totaling 10 digs on defense.
- Ole Miss 3, Alabama 1: Alabama volleyball dropped its Sunday road match at Ole Miss, falling to the Rebels in four sets. Alabama lost the opening set to Ole Miss, 18-25, but rebounded with a 25-21 win in the second to even the match heading into the locker room at intermission. The Rebels came back with 15-25 and 19-25 wins in the third and fourth sets, respectively, to ultimately win the match. The Tide was led by Krystal Rivers with 31 kills, adding 11 digs for her sixth double-double and third in SEC play. The performance marked her fifth match of the season and sixth of the career with 30-plus kills, the most of any player in program history.
WEEKEND SUPERLATIVES
- Krystal Rivers' 31 kills against Ole Miss marks her fifth 30-plus kill performance of the season and the sixth of her career, the most for any player in program history. She passed former record-holder Nina Foster (1994-95), who is the only other player besides Rivers to have at least four matches with 30-plus kills in the same season, doing so in 1994.
- Senior Brittany Thomas is closing in on the top 10 kills list, currently sitting in 12th with 1,253. She is just four kills away from 11th place and is just 36 shy of tying Nina Foster (1994-95) for 10th all-time with 1,289 kills. Thomas is also currently ranked eighth all-time with 1,092 digs and cracking the top 10 in kills would make her the sixth player in program history to rank in the top 10 in both categories, the first since Bridget Fuentez (2004-07).
- Friday's win over Arkansas marked head coach Ed Allen's 50th conference victory at Alabama. Allen joins former UA head coach Judy Green (1996-2010) as the only coaches at Alabama to reach the milestone. Allen reached the 50-win mark the quickest, currently in his sixth season at Alabama. The Tide has reached double-digit wins in conference play in each of the previous three seasons, the longest such streak in program history.
RIVERSÂ NAMED SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
A strong weekend on the road allowed Alabama senior Krystal Rivers to earn her fourth Offensive Player of the Week accolade of the season from the Southeastern Conference, it was announced Monday. The honor is her fourth of the season and the seventh of her career, the most weekly conference honors of any player in program history. This past week, she led the team in kills (56), hitting percentage (.425) and aces (6). Her 31 kills on Sunday against Ole Miss marked her fifth match this season with 30-plus kills and the sixth of her career, the most for any player in program history. She also added 11 digs against the Rebels for her sixth double-double of the season. On Friday against Arkansas, her 25 kills was just two shy of the entire Razorback offensive output and her four aces tied a season high.
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 1,960 kills, she is 130 away from tying Erin Heffner's (2001-04) school record of 2,090. Similarly, she is only 108.5 points away from tying Heffner's career record of 2,391.5.
Krystal Rivers Career Rankings at Alabama
- Kills - 2nd (1,960)
- Points - 2nd (2,283)
- Attacks - 2nd (4,216)
- Kills per set - 3rd (4.37)
- Points per set - 3rd (5.02)
- Attack Percent - 4th (.325)
- Solo Blocks - 5th (67)
- Block Assists - 7th (272)
- Total Blocks - 8th (339)
NEXT TIME OUT: AT TEXAS A&M / VS. ARKANSAS
Thursday, Nov. 3 at Texas A&M (13-7, 7-2 SEC) - 6 p.m. CT
College Station, Texas - Reed Arena (SEC Network)
Sunday, Nov. 6 vs. Arkansas (4-18, 2-8 SEC) - 1 p.m. CT
Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Foster Auditorium (SEC Network)
