BOL Round Table

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – On Senior Day for the Alabama volleyball team, the Crimson Tide posted a 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 11-25, 25-14) Southeastern Conference win over rival Auburn on Sunday afternoon from Foster Auditorium. The Tide (17-12, 6-12 SEC) posted a .246 hitting percentage in the match, while holding the Tigers (17-11, 8-10 SEC) to a .216 mark for the day.

“It’s our first win against Auburn since we took over the program a year ago,” head coach Ed Allen said. “It’s a huge win. Auburn is a very good volleyball team that’s trying to get into the NCAA tournament and is really on the bubble right now. They are a quality team.”

Alabama got off to a great start in the match, posting a .333 mark in the opening set, en route to the three-point win, then posted a .440 mark in the eight-point second-set win. After hitting -.065 in the third set, UA closed of the match with a dominate fourth-set, hitting .268 while holding the Tigers to a .086 mark, closing the match with an 11-point win.

With seniors Kayla Fitterer and Leigh Moyer making their final home appearances, Alabama snapped a six-match losing streak to the Tigers with the four-set victory.

Alabama middle blockers Katherine White and Kanesha Burch combined for 21 of Alabama’s 52 kills, as White tied Fitterer with 12 kills to lead the team. White and Burch, who had nine kills, made the difference in the match from the middle blocker position, as the two had just four errors on 36 swings to combine for a .472 hitting percentage. White had a .500 hitting percentage, while Burch hit .438.

Laura Steiner added 10 kills and Andrea McQuaid added seven kills with a .400 hitting percentage in the match. Sierra Wilson dished out a match-high 49 assists and Cristina Arenas lead all players with 22 digs. It was Arenas’ 11th match of her career with at least 20 digs.

“More than anything else, we were more consistent in every facet of the game today,” Allen said. “Our ball control didn’t break down and we served the ball extremely well. We put a lot of pressure on their serve and receive, which prevented them from what they like to do, which is be very aggressive with their attacks. Being out of system, they weren’t able to take the types of swings they normally like to take.”

Auburn’s Sarah Bullock led all players with 15 kills and Katherine Culwell had a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs.

Alabama continues Southeastern Conference action with road matches at Mississippi and Missouri next week. The Tide travels to Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday, Nov. 21, with first serve slated for 7 p.m. CT, from the Gillom Sports Center. The 2012 season wraps up with a Friday night match in Columbia, Mo., with first serve slated for 6:30 p.m. CT.