Alabama
18-8, 5-7SEC
Georgia
13-10, 4-8SEC
Alabama Falls to Georgia in Four Sets Friday
11/2/2018 9:57:00 PM | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After a convincing opening set win for Alabama over Georgia, the Bulldogs rallied back with three set victories to take the match, 3-1, over the Crimson Tide.
Alabama (18-8, 5-7 SEC) won the opening set, 25-13, before Georgia (13-10, 4-8 SEC) answered back with a near-identical win in the second, 25-15. The Bulldogs posted a four-point victory in the third, 25-21, before sealing it with a narrow 26-24 decision in the fourth.
Juniors Ginger Perinar and Hayley McSparin led the team with 12 kills each, with McSparin hitting .526 out of the middle. Sophomore Doris Carter was one kill shy of a double-double, finishing with nine along with 14 digs. Senior Quincey Gary posted a team-leading 27 digs, which moves her to third on the Crimson Tide's career record books with 1,379. She now trails former teammate Natalie Murison's second-place mark by 122.
The Tide got off to a hot start in the opening set, building a 7-1 lead before the Bulldogs took an early timeout. The lead soon grew to double digits at 15-5 and it was all Alabama in the second half of the frame, earning a dominant 25-13 victory.
Georgia took an early 4-1 lead but Alabama quickly moved ahead 6-5. After four tie scores, the Bulldogs started to pull away, leading 15-12 at the media timeout before tacking on two more to lead 17-12 at Alabama's first team timeout. The Tide called its second timeout two points later, down 19-12, and the Bulldogs held on to win, 25-15, and even the match at 1-1.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair to start, with eight tie scores before the halfway mark. Georgia held a two-point lead at the media timeout, 15-13, and pulled ahead 20-16 before Alabama called a team timeout. The Bulldogs increased its lead to six points and the Tide called its second timeout before cutting its deficit in half, forcing Georgia to spend a late timeout leading 23-20. The Bulldogs eventually won the set, 25-21, to take a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set was another close one in the beginning, with five tie scores before a 5-1 run put Georgia ahead 12-8 and Alabama called a timeout. The Tide scored three unanswered after the break to make it a one-point game but a three-point swing the other way put the Bulldogs back ahead, 15-11. Alabama continued to fight back, eventually tying it at 17-17 on a service ace from junior Mahalia Swink and Georgia called a timeout. The score would be tied three more times in the closing points, with a kill from senior Cidavia Hall putting Alabama in front 23-22 as Georgia called a timeout. The Tide reached set point first, 24-23, but the Bulldogs scored back-to-back points to retake the lead at 25-24 and Alabama called its final timeout. Georgia sealed it on the next rally, winning 26-24 to take the 3-1 victory.
Alabama returns to Foster Auditorium Sunday, Nov. 4 to face LSU at 1 p.m. CT.
