Alabama
8-2
Lehigh University
3-6
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Alabama Volleyball Closes Bama Bash With Three-Set Sweep over Lehigh
9/10/2016 1:05:00 PM | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama volleyball ended its weekend at the Hampton Inn Bama Bash with a 3-0 sweep over Lehigh, winning with set scores of 25-17, 25-22 and 25-15.
Alabama (8-2) posted a season-best .375 team hitting percentage against Lehigh (3-6), including a season-high .562 from Kat Hutson along with 10 kills. The Tide was strong up front, out-blocking the Mountain Hawks 6-1, and forced the visitors into 15 hitting errors and a .176 hitting percentage. Freshman Alexa Tomalk saw extended play time at setter, pacing the offense with 26 assists.
For their efforts over the weekend, Hutson and Natalie Murison were named to the All-Tournament team while Krystal Rivers was named the MVP.
After a back-and-forth start to the first set that included five tie scores, Alabama would move ahead 12-11 on a kill by Rivers and would remain in front for the remainder of the set. A ball-handling error against Alabama allowed Lehigh to draw within one point late, 18-17, but the Tide would stifle the Mountain Hawk offense for the remainder of the frame, scoring seven-straight points to win the set, 25-17, capped by back-to-back kills by Rivers.
Set two began in much the same fashion as the first, with each team battling within two points of each other before Alabama began to pull away near the halfway point, leading 11-7. Lehigh would fight back to tie it at 14-14, though they could not take the lead over Alabama. Tied at 20-20, the Tide would close out the set with a 5-2 run to win, 25-22, including a review challenge on a service error by Lehigh on the final play of the match that was upheld in the Tide's favor.
Alabama gathered some early momentum in the third set, pushing ahead 6-2 at Lehigh's first timeout and continuing to a six-point lead at the Mountain Hawks' second timeout, 13-7. The Tide's momentum only intensified as the set carried on, taking a double-digit lead at 22-12 and powering ahead for a 25-15 win to complete the sweep.
Next weekend, Alabama returns to Foster Auditorium for the Hampton Inn Crimson-White Tournament. The Tide opens play on Friday, Sept. 16 against East Tennessee State at 7 p..m. CT and plays two matches on Saturday, Sept. 17 against Presbyterian (11 a.m.) and Georgia Southern (7 p.m.).
For the latest information on Alabama volleyball, follow the team on Twitter (@AlabamaVball), Instagram (AlabamaVball) and Facebook.
