Alabama
Samford
Alabama Volleyball Faces Samford in Home Opener Tuesday Night
8/29/2016 4:50:00 PM | Volleyball
THIS WEEK
Alabama (2-1) vs. Samford (2-1)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Foster Auditorium
Tuesday, Aug. 30 - 7 p.m. CT
FOLLOW THE TIDE
- Live Stats: sidearmstats.com/alabama/wvball
- Live Video: SEC Network+ (online only)
- Twitter: @AlabamaVBall
SCOUTING ALABAMA
- Alabama went 2-1 in its season-opening weekend at the Hurricane Classic, posting wins over South Dakota and Incarnate Word while falling to tournament host Tulsa.
- For their efforts over the weekend, redshirt senior Krystal Rivers and junior Leah Lawrence were named to the Hurricane Classic All-Tournament team.
- Six newcomers made their Crimson Tide debut last weekend: Abolanle Onipede, Kennedy Robinson, Jennifer Casillas, Alexa Tomlak, Mahalia Swink and Hayley McSparin.
- Tuesday's match will be the 2016 home opener for Alabama. The Crimson Tide have a 337-169 (.666) all-time home record, including a 34-10 (.773) over the last three seasons.
LAST TIME OUT: HURRICANE CLASSIC
- Alabama 3, South Dakota 1: Alabama volleyball opened its season with a hard-fought four set win over South Dakota in the first match of the Hurricane Classic, rallying from a late deficit in the fourth set to win, 3-1. Alabama won the first two sets before South Dakota posted a 25-21 win in the third to avoid the sweep. The Coyotes reached set point twice in the fourth but the Tide avoided the set loss each time, eventually fighting back to win 27-25 and claim the four-set victory.
- Tulsa 3, Alabama 2: For the second-straight season, it would take five sets to decide a winner in a matchup between Alabama and Tulsa. Ultimately, it was the Hurricane that came out on top over the Tide, 3-2, in an exciting conclusion to Friday's action at the Hurricane Classic. Both offenses put up big numbers, with Alabama holding the edge over Tulsa in kills, 83-79, though the Hurricane out-hit the Tide .303-.257. Four Alabama players finished with double-digit kills, led by Krystal Rivers' 23 followed by Kat Hutson with 19, Hayley McSparin with 16 and Leah Lawrence with 14.
- Alabama 3, Incarnate Word 1: Alabama volleyball closed its weekend at the Hurricane Classic with a four-set win over Incarnate Word, finishing the weekend with a 2-1 record. Alabama won the first two sets before Incarnate Word avoided the sweep with a win in the third but the Tide bounced back with a 25-20 win in the fourth. For the third-straight match, Krystal Rivers led the team in kills with 18, while Brittany Thomas and Kat Hutson finished in double figures as well with 14 and 12, respectively. Shannon Mikesky paced the offense with 37 assists and finished one dig shy of earning her third double-double.
INDIVIDUAL STANDOUTS: HURRICANE CLASSIC
- Redshirt senior Krystal Rivers led the team with 65 kills (5.00/set), hitting .288 over three starts. She also added eight blocks, which was second on the team. Rivers, a preseason All-SEC selection, was named to the Hurricane Classic All-Tournament team. Her 65 kills and 5.00 kills-per-set average both lead the SEC.
- Junior Leah Lawrence hit a team-leading .407 over three starts, including 33 kils (2.54/set) and nine blocks (0.69/set). Her .407 hitting percentage currently ranks sixth in the SEC.
- Redshirt freshman Shannon Mikesky started all three matches at setter, making her Crimson Tide debut after sitting out last season with an achilles injury. Her 151 assists is the highest total in the SEC and her 11.62 assists-per-set average ranks second.
ED ALLEN APPROACHING 100 WINS AT ALABAMA
With two wins last weekend, head coach Ed Allen increased his career record at Alabama to 98-68, just two shy of 100 wins. Currently in his sixth season with the program, Allen broke school records for single-season wins in back-to-back seasons, winning 24 in 2013 before totaling 26 in 2014. Allen is also just eight wins away from his 600th career win.
NEXT TIME OUT: PUERTO RICO CLASICO
This weekend, the Tide heads to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Clasico tournament. Action starts on Thursday, Sept. 1 against Virginia Tech at 4:30 p.m. CT and continues on Friday, Sept. 2 against Florida State (4:30 p.m.) and Saturday, Sept. 3 against Temple (2 p.m. CT).
