Alabama
South Carolina
Alabama Volleyball Faces South Carolina Friday on the Road, Returns Home to Host LSU Sunday
11/16/2017 10:51:00 AM | Volleyball
THIS WEEKEND
Alabama (17-11, 5-9 SEC) at South Carolina (11-15, 4-10 SEC)
Friday, Nov. 17 – 6 p.m. CT
Columbia, S.C. – Carolina Volleyball Center
Alabama (17-11, 5-9 SEC) vs. LSU (19-7, 10-5 SEC)
Sunday, Nov. 19 – 3 p.m. CT
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Foster Auditorium
SCOUTING ALABAMA
- Alabama is 17-11 overall this season and 5-9 in Southeastern Conference play. Last time out, the Crimson Tide rallied from a 2-1 match deficit to claim a five-set victory over Tennessee at home Sunday.
- Senior Leah Lawrence earned six blocks in Sunday's match vs. Tennessee, pushing her career total to 439 which marks a new career record at Alabama. The previous record of 438 set by Shelly Adamcik (1999-2002) had stood for over a decade. With 113 blocks this season, Lawrence is also just nine away from her single-season best of 122 from last year.
- The Tide is ranked No. 51 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, with two matches remaining against higher-ranked opponents including LSU (33) and Missouri (35).
- Senior Leah Lawrence currently leads the offense with 253 kills and a .315 hitting percentage and has stuffed a team-leading 113 blocks. Freshman setter Meghan Neelon leads the team at the service line with 30 service aces while junior libero Quincey Gary leads the defense and ranks fourth in the SEC with 478 digs.
- With 17 digs in Sunday's match vs. Tennessee, junior Quincey Gary improved her season total to a career-best 478, which is sixth all-time at Alabama and is the highest single-season total under head coach Ed Allen. The previous best mark of 469 was set by teammate Natalie Murison during her 2015 sophomore season.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA FIGHTS FOR FIVE-SET COMEBACK OVER TENNESSEE
Alabama dropped the opening set to Tennessee, 21-25, but rebounded with a 25-19 win in the second to even the match. The Volunteers earned a lopsided 25-17 win in the third but the Tide came out strong in the fourth, answering back with a 25-18 effort to force a deciding fifth set. In the fifth, there were seven tie scores and a pair of lead changes but Alabama ultimately persevered to earn a 15-11 set victory and claim the 3-2 match win.
The Tide had four players in double-digit kills, led by sophomore Hayley McSparin's 17 along with a .520 hitting percentage, her highest clip in SEC play this season. Sophomore Mahalia Swink and freshman Meghan Neelon both earned double-doubles, with Swink at 14 kills and 10 digs and Neelon posting 56 assists and 11 digs. Junior Quincey Gary finished with 17 digs, pushing her season total to 478 which marks the highest single-season digs total under Ed Allen.
ALABAMA IN THE SEC RANKINGS (TOP FIVE)
Team (Overall)
- 4th - Digs (1,664, 15.55/set)
- 5th - Aces (134, 1.25/set)
Individual (Overall)
- 4th - Digs - Quincey Gary (478, 4.47/set)
- 5th - Assists - Meghan Neelon (1,078, 10.07/set)
Team (SEC Only)
- 5th - Digs (854, 15.25/set)
Individual (SEC Only)
- 5th - Kills - Ginger Perinar (191, 3.41/set)
LEAH LAWRENCE BREAKS ALABAMA CAREER BLOCKS RECORD
With six blocks in the Nov. 12 match against Tennessee, senior Leah Lawrence became Alabama's all-time blocks leader, passing previous record-holder Shelly Adamcik's (1999-02) career total of 438 that had stood for over a decade. Lawrence is also among the top 10 at Alabama in block assists (3rd - 349) and solo blocks (4th - 84).
Alabama Career Block Leaders
- Leah Lawrence (2014-pres.): 439
- Shelly Adamcik (1999-2002): 438
- Mavis Reed (1991-94): 425
- Crystal Hudson (2003-07): 408
- Julie Farley (2001-04): 400
QUINCEY GARY POSTING CAREER-BEST DIG NUMBERS AT LIBERO
In her first full season as the team's libero, junior Quincey Gary is quickly posting career dig numbers from the back row. She currently leads the team and ranks fourth in the SEC with 478 digs, averaging 4.47 per set. The total is already a career best for Gary and ranks seventh in single-season history at Alabama. It is the highest single-season dig total under current head coach Ed Allen, passing teammate Natalie Murison's 469 set as a sophomore in 2015.
Alabama Single-Season Digs Leaders
- Amy Pauly (2007): 616
- Jessica Yearout (2005): 543
- Amy Pauly (2006): 520
- Lorian Newcomer (1994): 500
- Lorian Newcomer (1993): 499
- Quincey Gary (2017): 478
MEGHAN NEELON EARNS TOP-FIVE FRESHMAN MARK
Freshman setter Meghan Neelon has 1,078 assists through 107 sets played this season, giving her the fifth-highest total by a freshman in program history. In the Nov. 8 match against Kentucky, Neelon passed teammate Shannon Mikesky's freshman mark of 996 set in 2016. Neelon's total is the second-highest freshman assist total under head coach Ed Allen, only trailing Sierra Wilson's 2012 freshman total of 1,293.
Alabama Freshman Assist Leaders
- Jennifer Miller (1989) - 1,401
- Brigitte Slack (2004) - 1,362
- Sierra Wilson (2012) - 1,293
- Allison Lange (1997) - 1,270
- Meghan Neelon (2017) - 1,078
UP NEXT
Alabama concludes its regular season next week, traveling to Columbia for a midweek road match at Missouri (16-10, 9-4 SEC) on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. CT before returning home to play Texas A&M (7-15, 4-11 SEC) on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. CT.
