Alabama
Texas A&M
Alabama Volleyball Concludes Regular Season, Celebrates Senior Day Saturday vs. Texas A&M
11/24/2017 1:54:00 PM | Volleyball
THIS WEEKEND
Alabama (18-13, 6-11 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (9-15, 6-11 SEC)
Saturday, Nov. 25 – Noon CT
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Foster Auditorium
SCOUTING ALABAMA
- Alabama is 18-13 overall this season and 6-11 in Southeastern Conference play. Last time out, the Crimson Tide fell in three sets to Missouri Wednesday on the road.
- In the final RPI rankings before the NCAA Selection Show, the Tide is ranked No. 56 with its opponents this week ranked at No. 34 (Missouri) and 59 (Texas A&M).
- Sophomore Ginger Perinar leads the offense with 274 kills, followed closely behind by senior Leah Lawrence with 273. Lawrence owns a team-leading .315 hitting percentage and 121 blocks. Freshman setter Meghan Neelon has 1,190 assists and leads the team with 33 service aces while junior libero Quincey Gary leads the defense and ranks sixth in the SEC with 523 digs.
- With 121 blocks this season, Lawrence is just one away from her single-season best of 122 from last year. She became the career blocks leader at Alabama in the Nov. 12 match vs. Tennessee, passing the previous record of 438 held for over a decade by Shelly Adamcik (1999-2002). Lawrence's career mark currently sits at 444.
- Gary's 523 digs this season is third in UA history and the highest mark under head coach Ed Allen. The previous best mark of 469 was set by teammate Natalie Murison during her 2015 sophomore season. It is also the first time since 2007 an Alabama player has posted 500 digs in a season.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA FALLS IN THREE SETS WEDNESDAY AT MISSOURI
Alabama volleyball dropped its final road match of the 2017 season, falling to Missouri in three sets Wednesday night. Alabama struggled on offense, committing 21 hitting errors and earning only 25 kills against Missouri. At the service line, sophomore Mahalia Swink earned three of the team's service aces, marking a career best for the Bakersfield, Calif., native. Junior Quincey Gary led the back-row defense with 19 digs and sophomore Ginger Perinar led the offense with seven kills.
ALABAMA IN THE SEC RANKINGS (TOP FIVE)
Team (Overall)
- 4th - Digs (1,837, 15.57/set)
- 5th - Aces (149, 1.26/set)
Individual (Overall)
- 5th - Assists - Meghan Neelon (1,190, 10.08/set)
QUINCEY GARY FIRST WITH 500 DIGS SINCE 2007
In her first full season as the team's libero, junior Quincey Gary is posting career dig numbers from the back row. She currently leads the team and ranks sixth in the SEC with 523 digs, averaging 4.43 per set. The total is a career best for Gary, ranks third in single-season history at Alabama and is the highest total under head coach Ed Allen. It also marks the first time since 2007 a Tide player has posted 500 digs in a season.
Alabama Single-Season Digs Leaders
- Amy Pauly (2007): 616
- Jessica Yearout (2005): 543
- Quincey Gary (2017): 523
- Amy Pauly (2006): 520
- Lorian Newcomer (1994): 500
ALABAMA POSTING TOP PROGRAM MARKS IN DIGS AND BLOCKS
- With the end of the regular season approaching, the 2017 squad has already made its mark in the Crimson Tide records books for digs and blocks.
- The Tide's 1,837 digs this season currently ranks seventh in single-season UA history, the highest total since 2007 and the highest mark under head coach Ed Allen.
- Alabama's 15.57 digs-per-set average is fifth in UA history, just trailing the 15.58 mark from 2011, Allen's first year as head coach.
- The Tide moved into the single-season top 10 in total blocks during Wednesday's match, currently with 278.0. This passes the previously top-10 mark of 275.0 set in 2014 which was also the highest single-season total under Allen.
- Alabama's 2.36 blocks-per-set average ranks 10th in program history and is the highest block average since 2006.
- The team's 103 solo blocks is third all-time in UA history and marks just the fifth time an Alabama team has reached triple digits. It is also the team's highest total since 1994.
FAMILIAR FACES
Seniors Natalie Murison and Leah Lawrence have each appeared in all 128 matches over their four-year Crimson Tide careers. That ties them for third all-time at Alabama and, with one match left in the regular season, another appearance would put them behind 2015 graduate Sierra Wilson (132) and 2016 graduate Brittany Thomas (131).
YOUNG STARTERS
Alabama has relied heavily on the contributions of key freshman starters this season. Christine Jarman, Kaylee Thomas and Meghan Neelon have each started 20 or more games, with Neelon starting all 31. Arkansas and Georgia are the only other SEC teams to have three freshmen start 20 or more matches this season.
LEAH LAWRECNE 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 (T2nd - 357) and solo blocks (3rd - 90).
Alabama Career Block Leaders
- Leah Lawrence (2014-pres.): 447
- Shelly Adamcik (1999-2002): 438
- Mavis Reed (1991-94): 425
- Crystal Hudson (2003-07): 408
- Julie Farley (2001-04): 400
MEGHAN NEELON EARNS TOP-FIVE FRESHMAN MARK
Freshman setter Meghan Neelon has 1,190 assists through 118 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) - 1,190
FINDING A HOME AT FOSTER
Since moving back into a renovated Foster Auditorium in 2011, Ed Allen's first year as the Tide's head coach, Alabama has compiled a 74-31 (.705) record on its home court, including a 10-4 record this season. Attendance has surged since its move back to Foster Auditorium as well, welcoming over 12,000 fans in five of Allen's six previous seasons after only surpassing 10,000 once prior to 2011.
UP NEXT
The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship bracket will then be revealed live on ESPNU on Sunday, Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. CT. The field of 64 will begin first round-competition the following weekend.
