After three weeks on the road, the Alabama volleyball team will return home to Foster Auditorium with conference play set to start this weekend.
The Crimson Tide squares off against Arkansas on Friday, Sept. 16 and LSU on Sunday, Sept. 18. Junior Leigh Moyer said the team is happy to return to their home floor.
“We’re so excited to be back and have the home crowd,” Moyer said. “To get the band back and be here for the SEC home opener is a huge advantage. I think it’s intimidating for others to be here. I want them to hate to come play here.”
Head coach Ed Allen, who received his 500th victory this past weekend, said the past few weeks have helped the team tremendously.
“We’ve matured a lot in the past three weeks,” Allen said. “We played good competition this past weekend. Everyone we played had winning records going into the weekend, and the quality of talent is the best we’ve played at this point.”
After a grueling non-conference schedule, Allen said his team is excited to begin SEC play.
“They know they’ve got to show up every weekend,” Allen said. “It?s a battle between you and your big brother or sister, depending on how you look at it. It means more to beat an SEC team. That’s what the preseason is for, to put you in a position to play hard in conference games.”
Moyer said, “Its different when it’s the SEC. I?ve played against these teams for three years. There?s more of a vengeance against them, it?s personal. I haven?t beaten Arkansas since my sophomore year; I want that. There?s that SEC pride, especially in beating a team in the West.”
With a 6-4 record, the Tide is undefeated at home. Allen said his team realizes going undefeated at home will not be an easy feat.
“LSU won the West, and Arkansas came in third last year,” he said. “They?re tough opponents. We?ve got to take care of our side of the net and remain consistent. We?ve improved. But, we?re still improving, and we?re going to continue to improve. That puts us in the position to compete well and play the best on our side of the ball.”
