Alabama Volleyball Announces 2019 Schedule
6/14/2019 11:22:00 AM | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama volleyball announced its 2019 schedule Friday, as the Crimson Tide heads into its first season under new head coach Lindsey Devine.
"I am very excited about the opportunities here at Alabama," Devine said. "I believe that the SEC teams and coaches have established the league as one of the top volleyball conferences in the country, so the chance to be part of this is very special.
Alabama opens its fall slate with a home exhibition match against South Alabama Saturday, Aug. 24 at 2 p.m. CT in Foster Auditorium. It will be the first opportunity for fans to watch the 2019 squad in action in Tuscaloosa and the only chance to do so until mid-September.
"Our season-opening exhibition match versus South Alabama is a chance for our fans to see the work these ladies have put in since January," Devine said. "We are physically stronger, which is going to help us both offensive and defensively."
The following weekend, the Tide heads to Buffalo, N.Y., for three matches at the UB Invite, hosted by the University at Buffalo. Alabama will play Marist and the host Bulls on Aug. 30, closing against Colgate Aug. 31. Week two sends the Tide to Richmond, Va., for the VCU Invitational, facing Navy, VCU and NC State Sept. 6-7.
"Beginning in the spring, this team embraced a commitment to excellence," Devine said. "Each day, the coaches and players found ways to steadily improve both on the court and in the classroom. When it came time to plan our schedule, we knew it was important to play against teams that would challenge us early. These tests in the preseason will prepare us for competing against very strong SEC competition."
Alabama then returns to its home state for three matches in Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala., at the Blazer Invite. The Tide faces UAB Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. CT, before back-to-back 10 a.m. CT contests against Georgia State and Alcorn State on Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14, respectively.
"I like that we are playing a tournament close to home at UAB," Devine said. "Road trips test teams on many levels, however we look forward to having our fans in attendance in Birmingham. Alabama has the best fan base in the SEC and their support of our programs is a tremendous benefit to our teams and University."
After almost a full month away, Alabama will be back in Foster Auditorium Tuesday, Sept. 17 against Kennesaw State. Three days later, the Tide heads south to Tallahassee, Fla., to face 2018 NCAA tournament participant Florida State on Friday, Sept. 20.
Southeastern Conference play opens Tuesday, Sept. 24 with a road match at Texas A&M before the Tide returns home to host Arkansas Sunday, Sept. 29. Game times for SEC matches will be finalized later upon the release of the TV schedule.
Additional home SEC dates include Oct. 9 vs. Mississippi State, Oct. 20 vs. Kentucky, Nov. 3 vs. Ole Miss, Nov. 8 vs. Missouri, Nov. 10 vs. Tennessee, Nov. 24 vs. LSU, Nov. 27 vs. Georgia and Nov. 30 vs. Auburn.
2019 season tickets go on sale July 1 and single match tickets on Aug. 27. Tickets can be purchased at RollTide.com or by calling the ticket office at (205) 348-2232.
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaVball on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Volleyball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
