The University of Alabama’s volleyball team travels to Dallas, Texas, this weekend to compete in the SMU Doubletree Invitational. The Tide looks to rebound from a five-set loss to Samford University Tuesday night.

The Crimson Tide will contend against Lamar, Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University this weekend. Although the three teams aren’t well known to most of the Alabama players, head coach Ed Allen knows them well. As the former coach of Tulsa University, Allen’s team was a member of Conference USA and regularly competed against SMU.

“I have a good idea of the teams, but we don’t have an advantage because of that,” Allen said. “There’s no real advantage, it’s the same as a video. But, it’s not me who has to go out and set, spike or play.”

Junior Kayla Fitterer said the team would place more emphasis on themselves at this weekend’s tournament.

“We’ll scout and watch film, but this isn’t as much about the teams but improving ourselves as a team,” Fitterer said.

Allen expects his team to bounce back this weekend.

“We are going to go out, compete and win a championship,” he said.

But, he was quick to say his team had improvements to make if they want to continuously win.

“We need to become tougher,” he said. “We need to be more competitively tough. There’s another level we haven’t reached yet. Our defense needs to get a lot better. We need to cut unforced errors and get more aggressive at the serving line.”

Allen’s intensity brings a fresh spark to the program. Senior Stephanie Riley said having the right mindset and attitude are the team’s greatest strengths this season.

“We have something to prove,” Riley said. “We have a new coach, new things, basically a new program. We’ve been focusing on a ‘protect this house’ mentality.”

Riley said playing in Foster Auditorium has a different atmosphere than their former home at the CAVE.

“It’s different here,” Riley said. “We want to make this a difficult place to come into. We want to gain more support from the students.”

Although excited about the home victories, Allen said where you win is not what’s important.

“Winning is rewarding no matter where we play,” he said. “It reaffirms why you do certain things and how you do certain things.”

The Tide has a difficult SEC schedule ahead of them including two matches against a No.9 Florida team.

Alabama’s ultimate goal is to make the NCAA Tournament. The Tide has not appeared in the tournament since 2007.

“That’s our goal,” Fitterer said. “We haven’t made it to the tournament since any of us have been here.”

Riley said, “We made a tangible goal before the season, and that was to have a winning season. If we reach that goal, then making the tournament should happen.”

After this weekend’s tournament, Alabama will travel to Toledo, Ohio, to participate in the Rocket Classic before returning home to begin SEC play.