Alabama
7-1
Georgia State
3-4
Alabama Posts Second-Straight Sweep to Defeat Georgia State Friday
9/13/2019 12:00:00 PM | Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama volleyball posted its second-straight sweep, defeating Georgia State in straight sets Friday morning at Bartow Arena.
Alabama (7-1) won each set by an increasing margin, defeating Georgia State (3-4) 25-22 in the opening frame before claiming 25-17 and 25-15 victories in the second and third, respectively.
Graduate Eva Borrowdale was the offensive standout for the Crimson Tide, posting a season-best 11 kills and a .385 hitting percentage along with 10 digs for her first double-double. Freshman Alyiah Wells tied her season high with six blocks with senior Ginger Perinar close behind with five.
— Alabama Volleyball (@AlabamaVBall) September 13, 2019
From Head Coach Lindsey Devine
"The carryover from practice into these last two matches showed at the service line. I really liked our focus and mindset. In this particular match, I thought we had a lot of block touches and slowed their offense down, which allowed us to really spread our offense and get a lot of people involved. I liked our tenacity that we showed during our long scoring runs."
Stat Leaders
- Kills – Eva Borrowdale (11)
- Hitting Percentage – Eva Borrowdale (.455)
- Assists – Mylana Byrd (30)
- Aces – Ginger Perinar (2)
- Digs – Kaylee Thomas (18)
- Blocks – Alyiah Wells (6)
Set-by-Set
- Set One (Alabama 25, Georgia State 22): After six tie score early, Alabama rattled off three straight to take a 12-9 lead halfway through the set. Still leading by three later in the frame, a kill from graduate Eva Borrowdale extended the lead to 17-13 and Georgia State took a timeout. The Panthers trimmed the deficit in half, forcing the Tide to call a timeout six points later at 19-17. Alabama's lead swung back to four points at Georgia State's second timeout, 22-18, and the Tide held on to win by three.
- Set Two (Alabama 25, Georgia State 17): Alabama started the set with six unanswered points, forcing the early timeout from Georgia State. The Panthers scored their first point after the break, but the lead remained six at the halfway mark and extended to seven after a block from senior Ginger Perinar and freshman Alyiah Wells made it 14-7. The Panthers spent their final timeout and would only draw as close as four points for the remainder of the set, with the Tide charging ahead for the eight-point victory.
- Set Three (Alabama 25, Georgia State 15): Alabama jumped ahead to an early lead in the third, ahead 9-4 at Georgia State's first timeout. After consecutive points from the Panters, the Tide answered back with four in a row to make it 13-6 as Georgia State spent its final timeout. It was all Alabama down the stretch, pulling ahead by double-digits at 23-13 and winning by the same margin, 25-15.
Key to the Match
Alabama took advantage of a large number of Georgia State attack errors, with the Panthers committing 25 for a .048 team hitting percentage as opposed to just eight from the Tide. Alabama's net defense was stronger as well, posting eight blocks to just three from Georgia State.
Player of the Match
Graduate transfer Eva Borrowdale tallied 11 of the team's 35 kills, committing just one error on 26 attacks for a .385 hitting percentage. She covered plenty of ground on defense as well, earning 10 digs for her first double-double.
Up Next
Alabama concludes its weekend at the Blazer Invitational facing Alcorn State (2-3) Saturday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. CT.
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.
