The No. 1 Alabama (25-0, 6-0 SEC) softball team is off to its second-best start in program history and faces a doubleheader tonight against No. 12 Tennessee. A tough week and a half of travelling gave the Tide a quick turnaround for its first Southeastern Conference home weekend. Head coach Patrick Murphy said his team showed great tenacity during the road stint. “That’s an amazing group of young ladies,” Murphy said. “If it were 20 members of my family travelling together, they would have killed each other. They could’ve folded their tent easily. You come back after a hellacious road trip and 24 hours later you’re playing your first SEC weekend at home. “Everything could have gone wrong, but they were ready to play. The dugout was up. Jackie [Traina] was ready to pitch. It was very impressive in my mind about their gamesmanship and ready to play.” During those 11 days, travel troubles and sicknesses plagued Alabama’s trip to Kentucky and Oregon. Kayla Braud echoed Murphy, saying the resilience of this team is one to recognize. “Let’s just say, we made it,” Braud said. “Like our coaches were saying—and I agree—I’ve never been so proud of this team for going through as much as we did and playing so well and having such a good attitude about it.” Braud continued, “We went through everything possible—sickness, delays, rain, snow, everything, and our team really stuck together and that’s what’s incredible about this team is we went through all that adversity and came out on top.” The need for a quick recovery is not over. After only a day of rest, a day Murphy said was desperately needed, the team was back on the grind Tuesday in preparation for its matchup against Tennessee. “I’m glad we got one day of practice,” Murphy said. “It’s just a little bit of practice, and then it hits us right in the face again. You’ve just got to be ready for it. Everybody in the conference has two midweek doubleheaders. You just have to deal with it.” If the Tide can pull out two wins in today’s games, it will tie the school record for its all-time best start at 27-0, which was set in 2001. Toughness is not the only thing Alabama needs in facing the Volunteers. Tennessee comes to Tuscaloosa with 14 errorless games while the Tide has posted only seven. Alabama’s heavy hitters will also be tested by Tennessee’s pitching staff, which includes the Renfroe sisters, Ellen and Ivy. The sisters have combined to start all 25 of the Volunteers’ games in the 2012 season. Braud echoed Murphy saying the team understood the importance of the rest day in preparation for tough midweek games. “Monday was a pivotal day to get some rest and prepare because we have a really big series against Tennessee,” she said. “They’re a great team and we need a good crowd and a lot of energy.”