Alabama volleyball suffered back-to-back defeats this weekend, losing to No. 16 Tennessee 3-1 and No. 3 Kentucky 3-0. The team now sits at 10-10 on the season with a 2-8 SEC record.
Game 1: Tennessee 3, Alabama 1
Alabama lost to the Volunteers in four sets.
Set 1 opened up with a back-and-forth game, with no team taking a clear lead. However, with the set tied at 15-15, the Volunteers went on a 10-3 run to close it out with a 25-18 win. Set 2 played out similarly. With Tennessee holding a 16-14 lead, the team went on a 9-6 run to win 25-20.
Alabama refused to go down easy, getting off to a 10-3 run in Set 3. Tennessee crawled all the way back to make it 24-23, yet a Tennessee attacking error gave Alabama the set-winning point.
Alabama’s momentum was shut down in Set 4, with Tennessee dominating in a 25-15 victory which included a 9-3 run to start the set.
The Volunteers offense was too much for the Crimson Tide defense to handle. Tennessee has the second highest hitting percentage in the SEC (.307) and lived up to it, finishing with above a .350 in two of the sets.
Alabama’s offense did have some bright spots. Kaleigh Palmer finished with 12 kills to extend her double digit kill streak to three matches. Hannah Parant achieved her seventh double-double of the season with 38 assists and 10 digs. Victoria Barrett led the team in almost every offensive stat, including kills (14) total attacks (44) and points (15.5).
Game 2: Kentucky 3, Alabama 0
The Wildcats swept the Crimson Tide in three sets, making it the fourth time this season Alabama has been swept.
Set 1 started off hot for the Wildcats, who took an early 8-3 lead. Alabama crawled its way back to make it 16-14, but Kentucky went on a 9-4 run to close out with a 25-18 win.
Set 2 began the opposite way, with Alabama getting the hot start and taking a 9-7 lead. However, the Wildcats came back to win 25-22. The Wildcats used that momentum in Set 3 to take home a 25-17 win.
Once again, Alabama’s defense struggled to slow down a high-powered offense. Kentucky ended the match with a .381 hitting percentage, including a game-high .438 in Set 1. The Wildcats also had more kills than the Crimson Tide (53-37) and fewer attacking errors (10-17).
Palmer finished with 11 kills, making it four straight games with double digit kills. Barrett also finished with 11 kills as well as 33 total attacks and 11 points. Trinity Stranger led the way on defense with 14 digs.
Alabama’s next opponent will be on the road against Ole Miss Friday at 6 p.m. CT.
