Alabama
Kentucky
Alabama Volleyball Faces Seventh-Ranked Kentucky Wednesday in Tuscaloosa
11/7/2017 1:42:00 PM | Volleyball
THIS WEEK: ALABAMA (16-10, 4-8Â SEC) VS. NO. 7 KENTUCKY (20-3, 11-1 SEC)
Wednesday, Nov. 8 – 7 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Foster Auditorium
SCOUTING ALABAMA
- Alabama is 16-10 overall this season and 4-8 in Southeastern Conference play. Last time out, the Tide fell in three sets Sunday afternoon against Georgia in Tuscaloosa.
- The Tide is ranked No. 54 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, with four matches remaining against higher-ranked opponents including Kentucky (4), LSU (35), Missouri (36) and Texas A&M (48).
- Senior Leah Lawrence currently leads the offense with 237 kills and a .322 hitting percentage, followed closely in kills by freshman Christine Jarman's 223. Lawrence also leads the team with 104 blocks and is tied with freshman setter Meghan Neelon with a team-leading 26 service aces. Junior libero Quincey Gary leads the defense and ranks fourth in the SEC with 449 digs.
- Four of Alabama's remaining six matches will be played at home. Under head coach Ed Allen, the Tide is 71-30 (.703) in Foster Auditorium, including an 8-3 record this season.
- Senior Leah Lawrence is only eight blocks shy of the career record at Alabama, currently held by Shelly Adamcik (1999-2002) with 438. With 104 blocks so far this season, Lawrence is also 18 away from her single-season best of 122 from last year.
- Junior Quincey Gary has already moved into Alabama's single-season top 10 in digs this season, currently sitting in seventh with a career-high 449. This puts her just 20 shy of teammate Natalie Murison's 2015 total of 469, the highest mark under head coach Ed Allen.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA FALLS TO GEORGIA SUNDAY IN TUSCALOOSA
Alabama and Georgia battled neck-and-neck in a close first set that had 12 tie scores and three lead changes, but the Bulldogs ultimately won 25-21. The second set was another close contest, ending 25-23, before Georgia pulled away in the third and final set with a 10-point victory, 25-15. Sophomore Hayley McSparin was the Tide's lone player with double-digit kills, earning 10 with a .412 hitting percentage. Junior Quincey Gary led the defense with 19 digs, improving her season total to 449 which moves her to seventh in Alabama single-season history. Senior Leah Lawrence stuffed three blocks, putting her just eight away from the Alabama career record.
ALABAMA IN THE SEC RANKINGS (TOP FIVE)
Team (Overall)
- 3rd - Digs (1,551, 15.83/set)
- 5th - Aces (123, 1.26/set)
Individual (Overall)
- 4th - Digs - Quincey Gary (449, 4.58/set)
- 5th - Assists - Meghan Neelon (991, 10.11/set)
Team (SEC Only)
- 2nd - Digs (741, 15.77/set)
Individual (SEC Only)
- 4th - Kills - Ginger Perinar (165, 3.51/set)
- 5th - Digs - Quincey Gary (209, 4.45/set)
LEAH LAWRENCE NEARING ALABAMA CAREER BLOCK RECORD
Senior Leah Lawrence currently sits at 430 career blocks, just eight shy of matching the school record of 438 held by Shelly Adamcik (1999-02). She is also among the top 10 at Alabama in block assists (3rd - 347) and solo blocks (4th - 83). In the Oct. 1 match against Missouri, she became the fifth player in program history to reach 400 career blocks and the first under head coach Ed Allen.
Alabama Career Block Leaders
- Shelly Adamcik (1999-2002): 438
- Leah Lawrence (2014-pres.): 430
- Mavis Reed (1991-94): 425
- Crystal Hudson (2003-07): 408
- Julie Farley (2001-04): 400
FAMILIAR FACES
Seniors Natalie Murison and Leah Lawrence have each appeared in all 123 matches over their four-year Crimson Tide careers. That ties them for 10th all-time at Alabama and, with six matches left in the regular season, could propel them to as high as third all-time behind 2015 graduate Sierra Wilson (132) and 2016 graduate Brittany Thomas (131).
MEGHAN NEELON APPROACHING TOP-FIVE FRESHMAN MARK
Freshman setter Meghan Neelon has 991 assists through 98 sets played this season, averaging 10.11 per set. With six matches remaining on the schedule, Neelon has the opportunity to post one of the top five highest assist totals by a Crimson Tide freshman in program history. Currently, she is only five shy of teammate Shannon Mikesky's fifth-place freshman total of 996 from last season.
Alabama Freshman Assist Leaders
- Jennifer Miller (1989) - 1,401
- Brigitte Slack (2004) - 1,362
- Sierra Wilson (2012) - 1,293
- Allison Lange (1997) - 1,270
- Shannon Mikesky (2016) - 996
- Meghan Neelon (2017) - 991
UP NEXT
Alabama returns to Foster Auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 12, hosting Tennessee (11-11, 4-9 SEC) at 1 p.m. CT.
