The Alabama Crimson Tide volleyball team swept the Alabama A&M Bulldogs in three sets Tuesday night at The CAVE.

The Tide improved to 5-2 with the win, and an undefeated 4-0 at home.

Alabama started the first set with intensity, opening up a 7-1 lead. The Bulldogs were able to regain composure, coming within three points to make the score 11-8, but that was the closest A&M would ever get to regaining the lead.

The Tide put together another run, outscoring the Bulldogs 8-1. Alabama finished the set with a 25-12 win. Alabama had a 75 percent hitting percentage in set one, the highest of the three sets.

The Tide came out in the second set with mental and communication errors. The Bulldogs played tough as the two teams went back and forth. Alabama head coach Judy Green called a timeout after A&M broke another tie, making it 21-20 A&M. After the timeout, Alabama regrouped by scoring the last five points, winning the second set 25-21.

“I felt like A&M had more defensive intensity, and our mantra is defense,” Green said. “A&M wanted it more in that second set. Our girls had to go out and put some points up, and in a row.”

The Tide’s biggest plays came in the final points. Sophomore Kayla Fitterer served an ace to put Alabama ahead 23-21.  Fitterer had a match-high of 14 kills on the night.

“They were really scrappy, so we had to find spots to hit the ball, and we did,” Fitterer said. “They started going out to the lines, so I had to switch up my kills.”

Alyssa Meuth was behind Fitterer with 12 kills. Kayla Schmidt led the team with 21 assists; Kelsey Anderson led the team with a match-best 19 digs.

In the locker room during the break, Green felt her team was flat.

“We were flat emotionally, and I expect more,” Green said. “They should expect more, and we do expect more. To be a great team, we have to be passionate and emotional every game day. I challenged them to be more hungry.”

The third set started out fast paced with both teams fighting hard. Alabama rose to the challenge set by Green, losing the lead only once. The Bulldogs continued to benefit from Alabama mental errors, closing Alabama’s lead to 16-15. After a Bulldog timeout, Alabama was able to halt A&M’s momentum. The Tide scored the game point off a Bulldog error to win the set 25-17 and take the match in three sets.

With such a tough game, leadership was key. Senior Alyssa Meuth continuously talked up her players during the match.

“Knowing our team personality from the start helps,” Meuth said, “being able to understand how each player contributes.”

Alabama will travel to Texas this weekend for the CenturyLink Premier.

This tournament is a homecoming for some Alabama players. Six members from the Tide’s team are from Texas. Green expects a great deal of intensity to come from her squad as a result.

“This is exciting for our team,” she said. “This should help the team be more inspired with such an intense atmosphere. They’re all very excited.”

Alabama will open the tournament against North Texas at 10 a.m. on Friday.