Alabama
Northwestern State
Alabama Volleyball Hosts Hampton Inn Bama Bash Starting Friday
9/8/2016 3:22:00 PM | Volleyball
THIS WEEK
HAMPTON INN BAMA BASH
Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Foster Auditorium
Friday, Sept. 9 vs. Northwestern State (2-3) - 10 a.m. CT
Friday, Sept. 9 vs. Southern Miss (6-2) - 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, Sept. 10 vs. Lehigh (3-3) - 11 a.m. CT
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Live Video: SEC Network+ (online only)
Live Stats: rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaVBall
SCOUTING ALABAMA (5-2)
- Alabama improved its record to 5-2 after winning two of its three matches at the Puerto Rico Clasico, defeating Virginia Tech in five sets and Temple in four. The Tide battled to five sets against No. 16 Florida State but eventually fell by just three points.
- Alabama enters this weekend's tournament with an all-time home record of 338-169 (.667), including a 35-10 (.778) mark from 2013-16. Alabama's win in its home opener against Samford on Aug. 30 stretched the team's home opener winning streak to eight seasons, a streak that started in 2009.
- Senior Krystal Rivers was named SEC Player of the Week, the fourth such honor of her career and her first of the season. Over last week's four matches, she averaged 5.24 kills per set and 6.03 points per set.
- The Crimson Tide's next eight matches will be played at home, marking the longest homestand of the season. In fact, the homestand is the longest for Alabama since 1999.
LAST TIME OUT: PUERTO RICO CLASICO
- Alabama 3, Virginia Tech 2: Alabama volleyball opened its weekend at the Puerto Rico Clasico with a tough five-set win over Virginia Tech Thursday night. Alabama and Virginia Tech traded set victories throughout the match, sending both teams to a fifth set. The Tide led by as much as four points late in the fifth before the Hokies fought back within one late. Back-to-back kills by Kat Hutson and Krystal Rivers ended the set, 15-12, and gave Alabama the close win. Rivers accounted for 22 of the team's 56 kills, hitting .326 along with 14 digs, good for her second double-double of the season.
- Florida State 3, Alabama 2: Alabama volleyball's upset bid over No. 16 Florida State fell just short in Friday's match at the Puerto Rico Clasico, falling in five sets by scores of 25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 19-25 and 12-15. Alabama held a 2-1 match lead over Florida State before the Seminoles battled back to win the fourth and narrowly escaped a late push by the Tide in the fifth. Krystal Rivers was Alabama's scoring leader at the pin and at the service line, finishing with 29 kills and four service aces, both just one shy of tying career highs.
- Alabama 3, Temple 1: Alabama volleyball closed its weekend at the Puerto Rico Clasico with a four-set win over Temple, winning by set scores of 25-15, 22-25, 25-21 and 25-22. Alabama and Temple split the first two sets and battled for the remaining two sets, edging out four-point and three-point margins of victory, respectively. As she has all season, Krystal Rivers led the team in kills, finishing the match with 24 kills, a .321 hitting percentage and 13 digs for her third double-double of the season.
ED ALLEN EARNSÂ 100THÂ WIN AT ALABAMA
With the win over Virginia Tech on Sept. 1, head coach Ed Allen recorded his 100th career win at Alabama. Allen, in his sixth season with the Crimson Tide, owns a 101-69 record heading into this weekend's competition. Since the program was reinstated in 1988, he is the first coach at Alabama to reach 100 wins before the end of their sixth season. Previously, Allen broke school records for single-season wins in back-to-back seasons, winning 24 in 2013 before totaling 26 in 2014. In his 25th year overall as a head coach, Allen is also just five wins away from his 600th career win, which includes previous coaching stints at Tulsa (2006-10), Presbyterian College (2003-05) and Anderson University (1992-2002).
KRYSTAL RIVERS NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Krystal Rivers is this week's SEC Offensive Player of the Week following stellar performances over last week's four matches. Rivers led the team in kills in all four of week two's matches, finishing with 89 and an average of 5.24 per set. Her highest total came against 16th-ranked Florida State, posting 29 over the five sets with just eight errors on 50 swings, good for a .420 hitting percentage. The 29 kills and four aces in the match against the Seminoles are both just one shy of her career bests. She also posted two double-doubles, first in Thursday's win over Virginia Tech with 22 kills and 14 digs and then against Temple on Saturday with 24 kills and 13 digs. Rivers has led the team in kills every match this season and has an SEC-leading 154 kills, 45 more than the second-highest total in the league. The 89 kills this week propelled her to fourth all-time at Alabama in career kills with 1,597, putting her 17 shy of third place. The weekly honor is the first of the season for Rivers and Alabama and the fourth of her career.
TIDE NEAR THE TOP IN THE NATIONAL STATS
- Heading into week three, Alabama is among the nation's best in a variety of categories:
- As a team, Alabama is ranked fifth in kills (430) and seventh in assists (388). Redshirt freshman Shannon Mikesky has accounted for 331 of the team's assists, which places her fourth nationally.
- Senior Krystal Rivers is ranked in the top 10 in four different categories. She is second in kills (154) and points (173.5), fifth in points per set (5.78) and eighth in total attacks (344).
- The Tide is among the top 25 in kills per set (23rd - 14.33) and total attacks (21st - 1,064).
NEXT TIME OUT: HAMPTON INN CRIMSON-WHITE TOURNAMENT
Next weekend, Alabama will again host a four-team tournament at Foster Auditorium, welcoming East Tennessee State, Presbyterian and Georgia Southern for the Hampton Inn Crimson-White Tournament. The Tide opens play on Friday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. CT against East Tennessee State and concludes with two matches on Saturday, Sept. 17 against Presbyterian (11 a.m.CT) and Georgia Southern (7 p.m. CT).
