Alabama
Western Kentucky
Alabama Volleyball Opens 2018 Season With Three Matches this Weekend in Charleston, S.C.
8/23/2018 9:00:00 AM | Volleyball
THIS WEEK: HAMPTON INN CHARLESTON/WEST ASHLEY COFC CLASSIC
Charleston, S.C. – TD Arena
- Friday, Aug. 24 vs. Western Kentucky – 2:30 p.m. CT
- Saturday, Aug. 25 vs. Missouri State – 9 a.m. CT
- Sunday, Aug. 25 at College of Charleston – 6 p.m. CT
SCOUTING ALABAMA (0-0) - Alabama opens the 2018 season this weekend at the Hampton Inn Charleston/West Ashley CofC Classic
- The Crimson Tide returns four starters from last season while welcoming six newcomers to the team, including five freshmen and one transfer.
- Head Coach Ed Allen enters his eighth season at the helm of the program in 2018, owning a 134-92 record and 628-275 overall mark as a head coach.
- Alabama will play its first six matches away from Tuscaloosa before rounding out its pre-conference slate with seven home matches in Foster Auditorium in the month of September.
OPENING WEEKEND
- Alabama is 16-6 (.727) on opening weekend under head coach Ed Allen
- The Tide has posted winning records on opening weekend in six of Allen's seven years at UA, including undefeated sweeps in 2011 and 2014.
- Of the 16 wins on opening weekend, half of them have come in four sets. Four have been sweeps and the four have come in five sets.
ED ALLEN ENTERS EIGHTH SEASON WITH CRIMSON TIDE
Head Coach Ed Allen enters his eighth season at the helm of the Crimson Tide in 2018. He has posted a 134-92 overall record at the Capstone, including two NCAA Tournament appearances and a school-record 26 wins in 2014. Heading into his 27th season as a head coach, Allen owns a 628-275 career record, posting a winning record in all but one of his 26 previous years. Among active Division-I coaches, he ranks 16th in total wins and 28th in winning percentage.
RETURNING STARTERS
- Senior Quincey Gary was the team's primary libero last season, appearing in all 32 matches. She led the team with 536 digs (4.43/set), the third-highest single-season total in UA history.
- Sophomore Meghan Neelon returns as the team's setter after starting all 32 matches last season as a six-rotation player. She led the team and ranked fifth in the SEC with 1,213 assists (10.0/set) and led the Tide with 34 service aces.
- Junior Hayley McSparin started 29 matches at middle blocker, hitting .301 with 273 kills (2.39/set). She also stuffed 105 blocks, including 24 solo blocks and 81 block assists.
- Sophomore Kaylee Thomas started 29 matches last year in the back row, posting 295 digs (2.44/set) along with 21 service aces.
ALABAMA RETURNS STELLAR DEFENSE FROM 2017
- Alabama sported a strong back-row defense last season, posting some of its best single-season dig marks in program history.
- The Tide returns both of its defensive starters from last season in senior Quincey Gary and sophomore Kaylee Thomas.
- The team's 1,875 digs last season ranks seventh in UA single-season 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.
- Quincey Gary led the team and ranked sixth in the SEC with 536 digs last season, averaging 4.43 per set. Both marks rank third in single-season history at UA and are the highest totals under Ed Allen. She was the first Tide player since 2007 to surpass 500 digs in a season.
ALABAMA VOLLEYBALL TO APPEAR FOUR TIMES ON ESPN FAMILY OF NETWORKS
Alabama volleyball is scheduled to first appear on the ESPN family of networks in its SEC opener on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at Missouri. First serve on ESPNU is set for 8 p.m. CT from the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. The Tide will next appear on the SEC Network on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. CT, facing Tennessee on the road. Another midweek televised match comes two weeks later when Alabama hosts Mississippi State Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m. CT in Foster Auditorium live on ESPNU. The Tide makes one final ESPNU appearance on Sunday, Oct. 28, facing Ole Miss at 5 p.m. CT in Tuscaloosa.
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 74-32 (.698) record on its home court, including a 10-5 record last 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 just surpassing 10,000 once prior to 2011.
UP NEXT
Next weekend, Alabama heads to Annapolis, Md., for the Kristen Dickmann Invitational, hosted by Navy. The Tide opens play against the Midshipmen Friday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. CT before facing Villanova (12 p.m.) and Dartmouth (4 p.m.) Saturday, Sept. 1.
