The Alabama volleyball team fell to a 13-5 record when the Crimson Tide lost to the Texas A&M Aggies 0-3 Sunday afternoon.
The Tide’s shutout loss was its first sweep of the season, as the team dropped all three sets 22-25, 20-25 and 20-25.
“We were less than excited about how we competed in the match,” head coach Ed Allen said. “We’ve got to learn to compete in every match for 25 points every set.”
Allen’s players were just as disappointed in their performance as their head coach.
“We just didn’t play how we should have played,” senior Kayla Fitterer said. “Credit to Texas A&M for beating us, but we just made a lot of errors and didn’t play the best we could.”
The Aggies made a statement when they handed the Tide its fourth conference loss of the season, dropping Alabama’s SEC record to 2-4.
“I think they’re as solid as any team that we have in the SEC,” Allen said. “I think they’re going to compete for championships just like the rest of the league, and I don’t think they’re going to have difficulty being one of the top four or five teams in this league on a regular basis.”
Texas A&M had an impressive showing in Tuscaloosa, but a couple of Tide players performed well against an unfamiliar SEC opponent.
Fitterer finished the day will a team high 11 kills, five digs, and a hitting percentage of .237. Freshman Sierra Wilson, from Anaheim, Calif., recorded a team high nine digs.
The Tide has a week-long break before it faces the other conference newcomer in Missouri. Allen said he couldn’t speak for his players, but the break will certainly help him. The team will try and regroup and improve on its mistakes before its next home match.
“We just need to focus more and compete,” Fitterer said. “Just play volleyball and do what we know how to do.”
Alabama will look to get back in the win column when it faces the Missouri Tigers on Sunday Oct. 7 at 1:30 p.m. in Foster Auditorium.
Allen commended the support level of the student body, attributing much of the team’s success at home to the environment the students can create. He asked for continued support as the Tide gets deeper into its tough, SEC schedule.
“There’s not an off night,” Allen said. “Once you begin SEC play, you’ve got to play well or you’re going to lose no matter who you’re playing.”
