This weekend, Alabama volleyball lost its undefeated status at the Blazer Classic in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide lost to Texas A&M Commerce on Friday, but then bounced back to beat Tarleton State and hosts UAB on Saturday and Sunday.
Texas A&M Commerce (2-3: 20-25, 25-28, 25-10, 17-25, 9-15)
Alabama came just short of the win, going 2-3 against Texas A&M Commerce at the Blazer Classic in Birmingham, Alabama. The team played five sets against the Lions, which ended in the Crimson Tide Volleyball’s sweep ending.
Outside hitters Kendyl Reaugh and Micah Gryniewicz led the game in kills with 18 and 15, each with six errors. Reaugh had a .286 hitting average, and Gryniewicz had a .250 hitting average, lower than usual for Alabama’s starters.
Reaugh had four impressive service aces, followed closely by Alyiah Wells and Victoria Schmer with three. The team had six service errors, giving points to Texas A&M Commerce.
Freshman setter Callie Kieffer recorded 46 assists during the game; she’s on her way to her second double-double of the season. Reaugh earned her fourth for her digs and kills.
Sydney Gholson reached a career high with 23 digs, nearly the same amount as Reaugh and Kieffer combined. Reaugh and Kieffer each had 13 and 11, respectively.
Chaise Campbell had one solo block for the Crimson Tide, with Wells having six block assists and Gryniewicz and Kyla Dunaway having two each.
Although Alabama scored more than Texas A&M Commerce, Alabama’s errors nearly doubled the Lions, leading the Crimson Tide to a disappointing end to its 6-0 sweep.
Tarleton State (3-2: 25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 17-25, 10-25)
The Alabama volleyball team had another big game against Tarleton State; after going five sets against the Texans, the Crimson Tide started a new win streak.
Reaugh led the game with 19 kills, then Wells with 17, Gryniewicz with 14 and Campbell with 12. The four made up 91% of Alabama’s 68 total kills this game, with an average percentage of .331.
Kieffer had 59 assists, a season best for the freshman setter. It was her second game this year with over 50 assists.
Along with her impressive offensive skills, Reaugh showed off her defensive skills by getting her fifth double-double of the season, with 10 digs and 19 kills. Gholson also had an impressive game with 18 digs.
Middle blocker Campbell led the game with a career-high eight blocks for the Crimson Tide, one solo and seven assisted. Wells led the team in solo blocks with three and had four assisted blocks. Reaugh, Wells and Kieffer also had great blocking games, with Reaugh getting five and Wells and Kieffer getting four.
The team switched its position from the last game and had more kills as well as half the errors that Tarleton did and started a new winning streak for Alabama volleyball, bringing their overall record to 7-1.
UAB (3-0: 25-18, 25-19, 25-16)
Alabama volleyball continued its recovery in a 3-0 match against UAB, bringing their new record to 8-1.
Gryniewicz, Reaugh and Campbell led the team in kills in this game, having 13, nine and nine, respectively. These statistics helped bring the team to their all-around .345.
Kieffer once again controlled the game with 32 of the team’s 39 assists, with Gholson having the other seven. Kieffer had only one error, making it a nearly perfect match for both.
The University of Alabama is No. 1 in the country in scoring aces, and it showed its dominance Sunday with Reaugh scoring three, Schmer scoring two and Kieffer scoring one.
Campbell and Dunaway had good blocking games, having four and two assisted blocks each.
Reaugh had 10 digs, Gholson had eight digs, and Gryniewicz had seven digs. Out of the 40 digs, the team had only two ball-handling errors, showing the team’s great defensive skill.
Although this Blazer Classic may have started with defeat for Alabama’s volleyball team, the Crimson Tide only learned from it and returned stronger.
The University of Alabama Volleyball team will Travel to Troy, Alabama, next to play the Troy University Trojans on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. CT.
