Alabama
Auburn
Alabama Volleyball Travels to Auburn Sunday
10/8/2016 9:30:00 AM | Volleyball
THIS WEEK
Sunday, Oct. 9 at Auburn (8-10, 2-3 SEC) - 1:30 p.m. CT
Auburn, Ala. - Auburn Arena
FOLLOW THE TIDE
- Live Video: SEC Network+ (online only)
- Live Stats: rolltide.com
- Twitter: @AlabamaVBall
SCOUTING ALABAMA (13-4, 2-2 SEC)
- Alabama split its two matches on the road last weekend, defeating Georgia in four sets in Athens before falling to Mississippi State in five sets on Sunday.
- Krystal Rivers' career kills total now sits at 1,820, which is 270 shy of Erin Heffner's (2001-04) career record of 2,090. Rivers is averaging 5.71 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 4.18 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 .248 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
Auburn Tigers
- Southeastern Conference
- 2016 Record: 8-10 (2-3 SEC)
- Head Coach: Rick Nold (sixth season)
- Record at Auburn: 88-84
2016 Stat Leaders:
- Attack Pct. - Emily Klitzke - .306
- Kills - Brenna McIlroy - 218
- Assists - Alexa Filley - 675
- Blocks - Brenna Barksdale - 46
- Aces - Jesse Earl - 28
- Digs - Jesse Earl – 364
ALL-TIME VS. THE OPPONENT
- 48-30 vs. Auburn
- Current Streak: Alabama 5
- First Meeting: Oct. 22, 1974 (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) - Auburn 2, Alabama 0
- Last Meeting: Nov. 15, 2015 (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) - Alabama 3, Auburn 0
LAST TIME OUT: GEORGIA / MISSISSIPPI STATE
- Alabama 3, Georgia 1: Alabama volleyball opened its weekend road trip with a four-set win over Georgia, taking the first two sets by scores of 32-30 and 25-15 before the Bulldogs rallied to win the third, 21-25, and the Tide won the fourth, 30-28. Alabama won the first two sets before Georgia avoided the sweep with a win in the third, snapping a streak of 13-straight sets won by the Tide over the Bulldogs. The fourth went past 25 points but Alabama held on to win, 30-28, and notch its sixth-straight win over Georgia. Krystal Rivers led the Tide offense with 38 kills, tying a career high, along with a .485 hitting percentage. Shannon Mikesky and Abolanle Onipede each posted season highs in blocks with six and four, respectively, while Brittany Thomas was two kills shy of a double-double with eight kills and 11 digs.
- Mississippi State 3, Alabama 2: Alabama volleyball came back from an 0-2 match deficit to force a fifth set on the road Sunday at Mississippi State, but the comeback bid fell short as the Bulldogs held on to win, 3-2. Alabama was held to a season-low .145 hitting percentage, falling in the opening two sets to Mississippi State by scores of 15-25 and 21-25 before rallying to win the third and fourth at 25-22 and 25-18, respectively. Alabama held an early 6-3 lead in the fifth but MSU quickly regained the lead and held on to win the set, 15-12, and erase the Tide's comeback bid. The loss snaps a five-match winning streak against Mississippi State. Individually, Krystal Rivers led the Tide offense with 26 kills and Leah Lawrence tied a career high with nine blocks. Hayley McSparin hit .345 with 13 kills and Brittany Thomas had a team-leading 19 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 1,820 kills, she is 270 away from tying Erin Heffner's (2001-04) school record of 2,090. Similarly, she is only 265 points away from tying Heffner's career record of 2,391.5.
Krystal Rivers Career Rankings at Alabama
- Kills - 2nd (1,820)
- Points - 2nd (2,126.5)
- Kills per set - 3rd (4.24)
- Points per set - 3rd (4.96)
- Attack Percent - 4th (.326)
- Attacks - 6th (3,910)
- Solo Blocks - 7th (61)
- Block Assists - 7th (265)
- Total Blocks - 8th (326)
MCSPARIN MAKING HER MARK
Freshman Hayley McSparin leads the team with a .341 hitting percentage, which ranks 10th all-time in single-season history at Alabama. Her hitting percentage is the second-highest ever posted by a Crimson Tide freshman, only trailing teammate Rivers' 2013 school-record clip of .404.
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.
NEXT TIME OUT: VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Tide will have a quick turnaround before its next match, hosting Mississippi State (11-8, 3-2 SEC) on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. CT in Foster Auditorium. The match will air live on ESPNU.
