Alabama Volleyball Hosts Kentucky and Georgia

Oct. 22, 2015

SCOUTING ALABAMA

Alabama (9-11, 3-3 SEC) - The Crimson Tide is led on offense by three hitters with over 200 kills, as sophomore Kat Hutson leads that group with a 3.57 kills-per-set average that also ranks third in the SEC. Junior Brittany Thomas leads in total kills with 248 (3.10/set), adding 200 digs (2.50/set) which has contributed to nine double-doubles so far this season, fourth among SEC athletes. Redshirt junior Krystal Rivers broke the 200-kill mark over the weekend, as she currently has 207 (3.23/set) in 16 matches played as well as a team-leading 67 blocks (1.05/set). Defensively, Natalie Murison leads the team with 313 digs (3.82/set).

ALABAMA VS. THE OPPONENTS

14-28 vs Kentucky

Current Streak: Kentucky 4
First Meeting: Nov. 1, 1980 (SEC Championship - Lexington, Kentucky) - Alabama 1, Kentucky 2
Last Meeting: Oct. 4, 2014 (Lexington, Kentucky.) - Alabama 1, Kentucky 3

28-23 vs Georgia

Current Streak: Alabama 3
First Meeting: Oct. 10, 1975 (Columbus College Invitational - Columbus, Ga.) - Alabama 2, Georgia 0
Last Meeting: Nov 16, 2014 (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) - Alabama 3, Georgia 0

LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA SPLITS SEC ROAD CONTESTS

Alabama split a pair of SEC road matches last weekend, falling in three against Texas A&M on Friday before earning a gutsy five-set comeback win over LSU on Sunday. The Aggies came out strong in College Station, hitting .429 as a team to hand Alabama just its second three-set loss of the season. Looking to rebound on Sunday against the Tigers, the Tide found itself down 2-1 heading to the fourth set, needing a win to force a fifth. Tied at 13-13 in set four, the momentum swung heavily in Alabama's favor. The Tide closed out the set on a 12-3 run to win, 25-16, and carried that into the fifth with a convincing 15-4 win to earn the comeback victory.

STANDOUTS AT TEXAS A&M / LSU

Kat Hutson posted a team-leading 21 kills in the win over LSU, making just two errors on 39 swings for a season-high .487 attack percentage. Hutson has hit above .300 in three of her last six matches.
Sierra Wilson continues to edge closer to the Alabama career assists record, recording 100 over the weekend (12.50/set) to put her 349 shy of the record. Her 63 assists on Sunday against the Tigers mark the fourth time this season she has surpassed 60 assists in a match.
Natalie Murison totaled 34 digs over the weekend (4.25/set), with 23 of them coming in the five-set win over LSU. Starting at libero all season, Murison has posted double-digit digs in all but two of the Tide's 20 matches and is averaging 3.82 digs-per-set, which ranks in the top 10 in the SEC.
Krystal Rivers tied with Hutson for the team lead in kills in the LSU match, posting 21 along with 13 digs for her second double-double of the month. Rivers' .349 hitting percentage is her second-highest total in SEC play this season.

ALABAMA AT HOME

After a 2-4 start at home this season, Alabama has won four straight home matches, including a 2-0 mark in conference play.
All four of Alabama's home losses have come in five sets, while the Tide has swept in three of its six wins, won in four sets twice and only once has won in five.
The Tide is outhitting its opponents .227-.197 in Foster Auditorium while averaging more kills-per-set (13.5-11.4.) and more digs-per-set (13.9-12.9).
Alabama has scored the majority of its points at home in the first set, winning nine opening frames with just one loss.

THE TIDE ON THE AIR

Sunday's match will be broadcast live on the SEC Network with Jenny Hazelwood on play-by-play and Courtney Lyle as the analyst.
Alabama has been featured three times on the SEC Network this season and will be featured five more times this year.
Since the debut of the SEC Network last season, Alabama has been featured in eight matches so far and has won all eight.

Alabama on the SEC Network

Sept. 24, 2014 at Georgia: W, 3-1
Oct. 12, 2014 vs. South Carolina: W, 3-1
Oct. 26, 2014 vs. Arkansas: W, 3-1
Nov. 9, 2014 at South Carolina: W, 3-2
Nov. 16, 2014 vs. Georgia: W, 3-0
Sept. 23, 2015 vs. Mississippi State: W, 3-1
Oct. 11, 2015 vs. Missouri: W, 3-2
Oct. 18, 2015 at LSU: W, 3-2

WILSON CLOSING IN ON CAREER ASSISTS RECORD

With 957 assists so far this season, senior setter Sierra Wilson now has 5,229 career assists, which is just 349 shy of Brigitte Slack's (2004-07) career record of 5,578. Wilson entered the season in third place with 4,272, trailing Jennifer Miller (1989-92) in second place by just 61. The Anaheim, Calif., native finished the opening match against Long Beach State with 38 assists and then surpassed Miller's mark the next day against Cal State Fullerton with 69 assists in the lengthy five-set victory. Against Tennessee on Oct. 2, Wilson broke the 5,000-assists mark, becoming just the second player in program history to do so.

NEXT TIME OUT: AT MISSOURI / ARKANSAS *SEC NETWORK*

Next week, Alabama plays a pair of SEC road matches, starting in Columbia, Mo., against the Missouri Tigers (17-2, 5-1 SEC) on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. The Tide will be back on the SEC Network on Sunday, Nov. 1 in Fayetteville, Ark., against the Arkansas Razorbacks (13-5, 3-3 SEC) at 2 p.m.

University of Alabama Athletics