For the eighth year in a row, the Alabama volleyball team will start off its season with the Hampton Inn Bama Bash.

However, this will be the first time that Alabama volleyball will be held in Foster Auditorium, which was renovated last season and now hosts both volleyball and women’s basketball.

“The historic background here makes it more exciting,” junior libero/defensive specialist Kelsey Anderson said.

Senior setter Stephanie Riley added, “The atmosphere here is a lot different than it was in the Cave. We liked the Cave, but this place has gotten so much press and so much hype that people are excited to see us play, and that makes us more excited to play.”

Alabama opens up Bama Bash against Alabama State at noon on Friday, and then follows it up with a match against Austin Peay Saturday at 7 p.m.

The Austin Peay match is going to be an early season gauge for the Crimson Tide, as the Governors are coming off an NCAA tournament bid last season.

“It’s a great way to open up,” head coach Ed Allen said.

The Tide’s next and final match of Bama Bash, against Texas State on Sunday at 7 p.m., is also one of importance.

“That’s a Texas State team that has a huge history,” Allen said. “[They have] a coach that has been there for the past 25 or more years. She’s number six in terms of winningest active coaches. That program has a lot of continuity and has been in the NCAA tournament itself on a number of occasions.”

With a tough slate ahead of it, the Crimson Tide has been working hard preparing for it since preseason training camp began on Aug. 9.

“I think we’ve gotten a lot better,” Allen said. “We’ve seen players grow, we’ve seen a team grow and we’ve seen our consistency improve.”

With the great camp now behind them, Alabama is still looking to make itself better before Southeastern Conference play begins.

“We want to see our team begin to show an identity at the service line and become very aggressive there,” Allen said. “We want to see a defense that has a clear understanding of what we’re wanting to execute and their ability to do that. If you look at the three matches we have, getting better in terms of execution is probably the number one goal.”

In practice on Wednesday, Allen also mentioned that the energy level needed to improve. Anderson doesn’t see that being a problem once the Bama Bash starts.

“It’s our first game and everyone’s excited,” Anderson said. “The fans and the atmosphere are going to help us a lot.”