Alabama volleyball picked up its first SEC win of the season Sunday, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 3-2. The Crimson Tide now moves to 9-5 on the season.
Set 1 was a back-and-forth between the two sides; however, Georgia pulled out the win at 25-23. Alabama bounced back quickly and won Set 2 in overtime 28-26.
Set 3 mirrored the second, as Georgia took a late lead after three kills and an Alabama attacking error, resulting in a 25-22 win for the Bulldogs.
Alabama kept its cool and decisively won Set 4, 25-18. The momentum continued to Set 5, where Alabama won 15-11 and clinched the game.
“All of our SEC games have been really close,” middle blocker Chaise Campbell said. “We’ve been working very hard this week on finishing and pushing, and I think our team did a really good job at that today.”
Campbell was dominant up front, notching 14 kills and 21 total attacks for 19 points. Outside Hitter Kaleigh Palmer also had 14 kills and 28 total attacks on a .286 hitting percentage. Setter Kayla Keshock had a team-high 30 assists paired with 6 points.
Alabama’s offense came out hot, something the team has struggled to do throughout the season.
“After our first two losses, we came out ready to play,” setter Callie Kieffer said. She said the team decided to come out and not give up easy points.
Just as Alabama’s offense was hot, the defense shut down Georgia. The Crimson Tide had 15.5 blocks, compared to Georgia’s 12. Alabama also had more digs, 53 to 47.
Head coach Rashinda Reed said the team has always believed in each other the season and fought until the end.
“This team is a team that just doesn’t give up,” she said. “We fight constantly until the end. … I felt like they really took to heart what we were working on throughout the week.”
Alabama’s next game will be against Missouri in Columbia on Friday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
