Alabama
LSU
Alabama Volleyball Continues SEC Play Sunday at LSU
10/14/2017 9:15:00 AM | Volleyball
THIS WEEK
Alabama (14-6, 2-4 SEC) at LSU (14-4, 5-2 SEC)
Sunday, Oct. 15 – 1 p.m. CT
Baton Rouge, La. – Pete Maravich Assembly Center
SCOUTING ALABAMA
- Alabama is 14-6 overall this season and 2-4 in Southeastern Conference play. Last time out, Alabama earned a five-set comeback win over Tennessee Sunday.
- The Tide is ranked No. 50 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, with seven matches remaining against higher-ranked opponents including Florida (2), Kentucky (3), Auburn (21), Missouri (35), Texas A&M (38) and two against LSU (40).
- After Sunday's match at LSU, seven of Alabama's remaining 11 matches will be played at home. Under head coach Ed Allen, the Tide is 70-28 (.714) all-time in Foster Auditorium, including a 7-1 record this season.
- Senior Leah Lawrence currently leads the offense with 196 kills and a .343 hitting percentage, followed closely in kills by freshman Christine Jarman's 186. Lawrence also leads the team with 24 service aces and 86 blocks. Freshman setter Meghan Neelon has 761 assists, averaging 10.1 per set, and junior libero Quincey Gary leads the defense with 351 digs.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA DEFEATS ALABAMA STATE IN FOUR SETS THURSDAY
After dropping the opening set, Alabama volleyball rallied with three-straight set victories to win the match, 3-1. With a raucous crowd packing Lockhart Gymnasium, Alabama dropped the opening set to Alabama State, 21-25, but rebounded with wins in sets two, three and four by scores of 25-22, 25-13 and 25-21, respectively. Sophomore Mahalia Swink led the offense with 15 kills while senior Leah Lawrence and sophomore Ginger Perinar were also in double figures with 10 each. Freshman Meghan Neelon was two digs shy of a double-double, earning 42 assists and eight digs. Senior Natalie Murison tallied a season-high three aces from the service line and junior Quincey Gary led the defense with 16 digs.
ALABAMA IN THE SEC RANKINGS (TOP FIVE)
Team (Overall)
- 4th - Opponent Hitting Percentage (.185)
- 4th - Digs (1,176, 15.68/set)
- 4th - Blocks (192, 2.56/set)
Individual (Overall)
- 3rd - Digs - Quincey Gary (351, 4.68/set)
- 5th - Assists - Meghan Neelon (761, 10.15/set)
Team (SEC Only)
- 3rd - Digs (366, 15.25/set)
Individual (SEC Only)
- 3rd - Digs - Quincey Gary (111, 4.62/set)
- 5th - Assists - Meghan Neelon (250, 10.42/set)
- 5th - Aces - Leah Lawrence (9, 0.38/set)
CRIMSON COMEBACK
Alabama remains undefeated in five-set matches this season following the Oct. 8 win over Tennessee, its fourth such win of the season. In three of the four five-set wins, including the most recent one over the Vols, Alabama had to overcome a 2-1 match deficit with wins in the fourth and fifth sets. When trailing 2-1 after three sets, Alabama is 3-2 this season.
Matches when trailing 2-1 after three sets
- Aug. 25 vs. Cleveland State - W, 3-2
- Sept. 24 at Ole Miss - L, 1-3
- Sept. 27 vs. Arkansas - W, 3-2
- Oct. 6 at #10 Kentucky - L, 1-3
- Oct. 8 at Tennessee - W, 3-2
LEAH LAWRENCE JOINS 400 BLOCKS CLUB
Senior Leah Lawrence posted four blocks in the Oct. 1 match against Missouri, pushing her career total to 400. She is the fifth player in program history to reach the mark and the first under head coach Ed Allen.
Alabama Career Block Leaders (400+)
- Shelly Adamcik (1999-2002): 438
- Mavis Reed (1991-94): 425
- Leah Lawrence (2014-pres.): 412
- Crystal Hudson (2003-07): 408
- Julie Farley (2001-04): 400
CAREER RECORD WATCH
- Senior Leah Lawrence is among the top 10 at Alabama in career blocks (4th - 412), block assists (4th - 335), solo blocks (5th - 77) and hitting percentage (10th - .277). She is 26 blocks away from the school record of 438 held by Shelly Adamcik (1999-02). In the Oct. 1 match against Missouri, Lawrence became the fifth player in program history with 400 career blocks and the first since Crystal Hudson (2003-07).
- Senior Natalie Murison is second in career digs at Alabama with 1,429. She is now 295 away from Amy Pauly's (2005-08) school-record total of 1,724. Murison has surpassed 400 digs in each of her three previous years, including a personal-best 469 as a sophomore in 2015. She has a career average of 3.13 digs per set, which is seventh all-time at Alabama, and her 457 sets played ranks ninth in program history.
UP NEXT
Next weekend, the Tide returns home to face No. 1 Florida (14-0, 6-0 SEC) on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. CT and South Carolina (9-8, 2-3 SEC) on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. CT. Friday's match against the Gators will be the Tide's annual Power of Pink match.
