Tide Faces Georgia in SEC Volleyball Tournament Opener
11/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Fresh off Sunday's win over Kentucky giving the Alabama Volleyball team a share of the Southeastern Conference Western Division title, the Tide returns to the court on Friday at 5 p.m. (ET) against Georgia in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.
The Tide (20-7, 10-6 SEC) finished tied with Arkansas atop the SEC West standings and earned the fourth seed at this weekend's event being played at Florida's O'Connell Center. Alabama has won four matches in a row heading into Friday's tilt and the Tide has also posted an opening round victory in each of the past three SEC Tournaments.
"We had a very good week of practice," said UA head coach Judy Green who owns a 4-8 career record at the league's postseason event. "I feel like our team is playing well right now and are focused and determined to continue working towards more of our season goals. I think this year's SEC Tournament will be extremely competitive and will be exciting for all the teams and the fans."
Georgia, the Tide's opening round opponent, finished the regular season with a 17-9 overall mark and a 9-7 record in the SEC. The Bulldogs snapped a two match losing skid with a win over South Carolina last Sunday. UGA handed the Tide a 3-0 (30-24, 30-16, 36-34) loss on Oct. 1 in Athens, Ga., in the pairs only previous meeting this season. Alabama owns a slight 17-15 edge in the all-time series with Georgia. A win over the 'Dawgs would put the Tide in a semifinal match against the winner of the Florida-South Carolina contest on Saturday.
Festivities at the 2004 SEC Tournament begin on Thursday night with the annual SEC Award's Banquet at which most of the league's postseason honors including all-conference accolades are handed out.
Tournament action begins in earnest on Friday at Noon (ET) with Tennessee battling Auburn. Arkansas and LSU square off at 2 p.m. (ET) followed by the UA-UGA contest and the day ends with Florida facing South Carolina at 7 p.m. (ET). The semifinals are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday with the championship game slated for 3 p.m. on Sunday. The final match will be televised live by Fox Sports Net South.
Alabama fans wanting to follow the Tide's progress at the tournament can keep up with the team in all their matches via live stats on the internet at www.gatorzone.com.
