After a rough start to the season, the Lady Vols volleyball team looks to bounce back strong this weekend in their SEC home-opening weekend.
Tennessee will host No. 21 Texas A&M on Friday night and a very hot Alabama team Sunday in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Lady Vols (7-9, 0-2 SEC) opened SEC play with losses at Arkansas and Missouri last weekend, but they’re hoping to use that experience to get their season back on track.
“We just take the losses as a lesson learned,” sophomore outside hitter Jamie Lea said. “With being at home now, I think everyone is going to feel more comfortable, so it’s a big weekend for us as a team.”
Texas A&M (9-3, 1-0) is led by junior hitter Shelby Sullivan, a pre-season All-SEC performer who is leading her team in kills, blocks and total points, and has established herself as one of the top players in the SEC.
The Aggies have gotten off to a strong start this year, beating two top-25 teams in USC and San Diego, before sweeping their conference opener over Auburn last weekend. Texas A&M prides themselves on their defense, meaning serving will be more important than usual for Tennessee this weekend.
“They are very physical,” head coach Rob Patrick said. “They have very good middles that we’re going to have to slow down, so we’re gonna have to really do a great job in the serve and pass game and try to get them off balance a little bit with our serving.”
Alabama (14-2, 2-0) comes in unranked, but is one of the hottest teams in the country, winning its last nine games including wins over Georgia and LSU last weekend in dominating fashion.
Redshirt sophomore Krystal Rivers was a pre-season All-SEC selection, and has lived up to that honor so far this year, leading her team in kills, aces and points. Her 263 total kills on the year ranks 12th in the country coming into this weekend’s match.
“She’s a great athlete with a couple years under her belt,” Patrick said. “She has a dynamic jump, and gets off the ground really quick with a really quick arm swing. Now that she’s got experience, she has more shots in her game. We’re not going to stop her, nobody has stopped her but we do have to slow her down a little.”
Playing a fundamentally sound game will be key to Tennessee’s success this weekend, as the talent level of the competition leaves almost no room for silly errors.
Athleticism and experience are the keys to the Crimson Tide’s success so far this year. The team has several starters who are in their third or fourth year with the program, and that kind of experience is crucial when playing in a conference like the SEC.
“They are very powerful at the net, and very quick off the ground,” Patrick said. “They have a lot of players that have started for several years, so a lot of that match is gonna be played at the net. We’re gonna have to slow them down at the net, because they are gonna be so physical with the athletes they have.”
Playing in the SEC isn’t easy in any sport, and volleyball is no exception. The conference sent six teams to the NCAA tournament last year, and currently has three teams ranked in the top 25. Every match is a challenge in the SEC, and nobody can afford to take a game off.
“No off days whatsoever,” Lea said. “Sometimes it can be a little hard, you wanna sleep in a little bit, but that’s what we signed up for. We know what we have to do, and in the end we just have to play hard and get through it.”
Friday’s contest against Texas A&M starts at 7 p.m., and Sunday’s matchup versus Alabama will begin at 1:30 p.m.
