Alabama
1-0,0-0SEC
Austin Peay
0-1,0-0OVC
Late Rally Gives Alabama Volleyball Season-Opening Win over Austin Peay, 3-1
8/27/2021 1:24:00 PM | Volleyball
The Crimson Tide rallied from down seven points in the fourth to win
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Down seven points in the fourth set, Alabama volleyball rallied to take a late lead over Austin Peay and finished it off the cap the 3-1 win in the Crimson Tide' season opener Friday morning.
Alabama (1-0) was led by a career-high 17 kills from Kennedy Muckelroy, with the junior hitting .400 on 35 swings against Austin Peay (0-1). Alyiah Wells was also in double figures with 10 kills, adding six blocks which only trailed Sarah Swanson's eight for the team lead. Emily Janek tallied a double-double as the primary setter, finishing with 32 assists and 14 digs. Dru Kuck dug a career-high 22 balls in her Tide debut at libero.
After a back-and-forth start to the opening set with eight tie scores, a kill from Kennedy Muckelroy put Alabama ahead 15-14 but Austin Peay responded with a 5-1 run to move ahead 19-16 as the Tide took a timeout. The Governors eventually closed out the frame to win, 25-19. Alabama responded with four unanswered to start set two and eventually moved ahead 10-3 before Austin Peay took a timeout. The Tide led 15-6 before a 6-1 run from the Governors cut the lead to 16-12 and forced an Alabama timeout. A service ace from Dru Kuck made it a double-digit game at set point, 24-14, and an Austin Peay attack error ended it as the match evened at 1-1 with the 25-14 win.
Alabama scored the first two points of set three and led the whole way, eventually defeating Austin Peay 25-20 to take a 2-1 match lead. Trailing 4-2 in the fourth, the Tide scored five in a row capped by a Muckelroy service ace to make it 7-4. Later with Alabama up 11-9, the Governors went on a 7-3 run to lead 16-12 as the Tide took a timeout. Alabama battled back to tie it late, 23-23, and staved off set point from Austin Peay to score two in a row and pull ahead 25-24. A block from Swanson and Sami Jacobs finished off the comeback as the Tide won, 26-24, to take the match in four sets.
Stat Leaders
- Kills: Kennedy Muckelroy - 17
- Assists: Emily Janek - 32
- Digs: Dru Kuck - 22
- Blocks: Sarah Swanson - 8
- Aces: Kennedy Muckelroy - 3
Set-by-Set
- Set 1: Austin Peay 25, Alabama 19
- Set 2: Alabama 25, Austin Peay 14
- Set 3: Alabama 25, Austin Peay 20
- Set 4: Alabama 26, Austin Peay 24
Match Notes
- The win marks the second time in three seasons under head coach Lindsey Devine that Alabama has won its season opener
- Kennedy Muckelroy's 17 kills ties her previous career high, last hitting the mark March 19, 2021 against Tennessee
- Dru Kuck's 22 digs is a new career high, beating her previous best of 17 set while playing for Kansas State on Oct. 2, 2020 against West Virginia
- Emily Janek's double-double was the seventh of her career
- Six players made their debut for the Crimson Tide, including starts from Sami Jacobs, Sarah Swanson, Shaye Eggleston and Dru Kuck and appearances from Sydney Gholson and Brooke Slusser
Up Next
- Alabama at Marshall – Huntington, W. Va.
- Friday, Aug. 27 – 5 p.m. CT
