Wednesday, October 21
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
6 p.m. CT
Alabama
vs
Missouri
Photo by: Jeff Hanson / Crimson Tide Photo
Alabama Volleyball Opens 2020 Season With Two Home Matches Against Missouri
10/20/2020 11:46:00 AM | Volleyball
The Crimson Tide and Tigers face off Wednesday and Thursday night in Tuscaloosa
THIS WEEK: ALABAMA VS. NO. 7 MISSOURI
- Wednesday, Oct. 21 – 6 p.m. CT | Thursday, Oct. 22 – 8:30 p.m. CT
- Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Foster Auditorium
- TV: SEC Network (Thursday)
SCOUTING ALABAMAÂ (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
- Alabama returns five starters from last year's team, including seniors Doris Carter, Meghan Neelon and Kaylee Thomas and sophomores Alyiah Wells and Emily Janek
- The Crimson Tide welcomes eight newcomers to its 2020 squad, including four freshmen and four transfers
- Alabama's first four matches of the season come against Missouri and Florida, both ranked in the current AVCA Top 15. The only other time the Tide opened against a ranked opponent was its first two matches of the 2009 season, facing No. 20 Saint Louis and No. 1 Penn State.
ALL-TIME VS. MISSOURI
- Overall: 15th Meeting (Missouri leads 11-3)
- In Tuscaloosa: 1-6 | In Columbia: 2-5 | At Neutral Sites: 0-0
- Current Streak: Missouri +7
- Last Meeting: Nov. 15, 2019 - L, 0-3 - Columbia, Mo.
- Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: Nov. 8, 2019 - L, 2-3
2019 HIGHLIGHTS
- Alyiah Wells earned SEC All-Freshman accolades, leading the team with 109 blocks which ranked fifth in the SEC
- Head Coach Lindsey Devine earned her 300th career win during her debut season at Alabama, doing so with a three-set sweep over Alcorn State on Sept. 14, 2019
- Off the court, 11 Tide student-athletes earned SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition and five others were named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
- The team won its eighth-straight AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2019-20 school year, awarded to teams with a 3.30 or higher team GPA. Volleyball was one of five teams at The University of Alabama to earn the 2020 NCAA Division I Public Recognition Award, which highlights teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top Academic Progress Rates within their respective sports.
ALABAMA RETURNERS IN THE 2019 SEC RANKINGS (TOP EIGHT)
Team (Overall)
- 6th - Blocks (243, 2.31/set)
Team (SEC Matches)
- 6th - Blocks (153, 2.32/set)
Individual (Overall)
- 5th - Blocks - Alyiah Wells (109, 1.08/set)
- 5th - Digs - Kaylee Thomas (424, 4.08/set)
Individual (SEC Matches)
- 8th - Digs - Kaylee Thomas (269, 4.08/set)
HEAD COACH LINDSEY DEVINE
- Head Coach Lindsey Devine enters her second season at the helm of the Crimson Tide in 2020
- Devine earned her 300th career win during her debut season at Alabama, doing so with a three-set sweep over Alcorn State on Sept. 14, 2019
- She arrived at Alabama in 2019 following a successful 16-year stint at ETSU as its all-time winningest coach
- Devine led the Buccaneers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018, the latter as the Southern Conference's first ever at-large bid
- She was twice named SoCon Coach of the Year and had 28 student-athletes earn all-conference honors during her tenure, including three Player of the Year, three Libero of the Year and two Freshmen of the Year award-winners
- Off the court, ETSU sported a 100-percent graduation rate under Devine and earned the AVCA Team Academic Award each of her last nine years, which requires at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade point average
KAYLEE THOMAS SURPASSES 1,000 CAREER DIGS
- During the Nov. 15 match last season at Missouri, junior Kaylee Thomas earned her 1,000th career dig
- She is the 14th player in program history to reach the milestone and the third in the last three seasons, joining former teammates Quincey Gary (2015-18) and Natalie Murison (2014-17)
- With 1,063 digs, Thomas is ranked 11th all-time at UA and is just seven behind 10th-place Bridget Fuentez (2004-07)
- Thomas' 3.12 digs-per-set average ranks eighth all-time at UA
FINDING A HOME AT FOSTER
- Since moving back into a renovated Foster Auditorium in 2011, Alabama has compiled an 86-46 (.652) record on its home court
- Seven of the last nine seasons have seen double-digit win totals, including a program-best 12 in 2016
ALABAMA TO APPEAR FOUR TIMES ON NATIONAL TV THIS FALL
- Alabama is scheduled to appear four times on national television during the fall season
- Matches not on national television will be streamed on the SEC Network+ digital platform
Alabama on national TV this fall
- Thursday, Oct. 22 vs. Missouri - 8:30 p.m. CT - SEC Network
- Friday, Oct. 30 at Florida - 6 p.m. CT - SEC Network
- Sunday, Nov. 8 at Georgia - 1 p.m. CT - SEC Network
- Sunday, Nov. 15 vs. LSU - 1 p.m. CT - ESPNU
UP NEXT: ALABAMA AT FLORIDA
- Friday, Oct. 30 - 6 p.m. CT - Gainesville, Fla. (SEC Network)
- Saturday, Oct. 31 - 2 p.m. CT - Gainesville, Fla.
Players Mentioned
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/ Volleyball
OPP/S
/ Volleyball
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/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
MB
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