Alabama vs Citadel | Women Volleyball Aug 30,2024

and you brought it up Lane you're looking at their head coach right there he told us regular season doesn't really matter they are solely focused on the conference postseason tournament that's right he's got the end in mind a championship trophy from that socon tournament and he's got a great roster poised to do it he is Bell Hogan last year's socon Setter of the year he's got Ali ruffen sohan's play of the year last year did a fantastic job so hoping to see them perform today and show off a little bit of what they've got in store for socon this year so that's a look at the socon preseason poll how about the SEC well a little bit more teams compet 15 total Vanderbilt the only team in the conference that does not have a volleyball program Texas preseason favorites no surprise they Lane they have won back-to- back national championships they're trying to win three in a row nobody has done that since Pinn state in the mid 2000s they have built an absolute Powerhouse program and are I'm so excited that they're in the a sec to see what that does for volleyball in the Southeast and for the SEC as a whole they absolutely are dominant across the board when it comes to the way they run their program how well they do at recruiting they're really going to be I think a huge factor in what Southeastern volleyball looks like over the next 10 years well we just touched on the Citadel and why are they preseason favorites well it's because they have three key players returning you're looking at the returning socon Player of the Year cter of the year and the labero of the year they have been with this program from day one and you can certainly see why they're the preseason favorites absolutely I had talked about Ally and Bell but I hadn't talked about Jaylen Edgar the Le of the year last year who was a returner as well who by the way played great this morning we got to see a little bit of that so definitely they've got a core team that really has stuck together that's a huge advantage that they have their team knows each other well they've played together for a season or two at least most of these core players in their rotation a little bit of a different story on the Alabama side a 20-man roster the biggest roster that coach rinda Reed has coached yet in Tuscaloosa and 10 of those players being new to the program whether that be that they're freshman or transfers into the program but like coach Reed said earlier this week they've done a lot in the off seon to make sure that they've built up that team chemistry and gotten to know each other and gotten opportunities to bond really well well you touch on the roster size for Alabama also a new addition as well to the coaching staff somebody you're very familiar with that's right coach will Boyd coming straight out of Louisiana where he was the offensive coordinator in the setter coach Co I had the great blessing to be coached by him when I was 16 years old and just loved getting to work with him it was such a fun season my teammates and I all loved him so much I just know that this Alabama team is enjoying having him and his incredible setting expertise all right getting ready for first serve in the final game of the day between Alabama and the Citadel what do you think will be the keys for both of these teams I think first and foremost seeing if they can come out strong and come out clicking it it'll be really easy for one of these teams to grab the momentum of the match if they're able to start strong we saw a little bit of a roller coaster in both their first matches and the fact that they went to five sets with those teams shows a little bit of that up and down that we saw some inconsistency and the team really looked Polished in clicking one moment and then not quite so much in the next moment and a lot of that is just it's opening weekend this is their first time playing together with another team on the other side of the net so a lot of that is to be expected but excited to see if they've knocked some of the rust off already one thing to monitor for Alabama their first game of the day against Gremlin they went with the s for transfer Kaya keyock to start now it is the sore kefir out of Crosser Texas kefir with a start for the second game today the Citadel serves were underway best of five first of 25 wins must win by two so underway inside fost for Auditorium and the defense for the Citadel with a strong start I like that rally already we saw great coverage by Alabama not quite able to finish the point but that Citadel blocking is going to be a problem something that Alabama already faced earlier today was a little bit of issue finding ways to hit around the block if Citadel does their best to be disciplined in blocking that could create a problem for Alabama first swing of the night for dway she was fantastic earlier 12 kills in her first swing of the night tonight ties the game at one dunway was very consistent for the tide earlier today and definitely a good person to look to in transition when the play wasn't coming together perfectly and that was a great example of that Sophie AG serving that was the KES Hill for Alabama against gr they had over 20 service errors that time it's right through the midst of dway the cadel takes a 2-1 [Applause] Advantage rough and serving senior out of Greenville North Carolina Aon Player of the Year season to go here's a middle attack that's is the Freshman with a swing Crimson Tide regroups here's Thompson with the start tonight after she was spectacular against scam that one out barely tied at two Sophie Childs with the swing there I think she had a good idea in that rally to try to just put a ball in a deep corner and allow her team to reset but just missed the back of the Court by a couple [Music] feet off the side of the block and down nicely done by Sophie Childs out of Tulsa Oklahoma that was a great job at coming back from a Miss swing she swung strong and took advantage of the not quite all the way there blocker's hands on the tide side for a [Applause] tool that one's out easy Point awarded to Alabama that is a Miss serve we saw a lot of those earlier today and talked about how hopefully we'll see fewer tonight I know both of these coaches give their players the green light to go to the backline and try to serve aggressively to win the point so hopefully we'll see a lot of Aces but there can be some errors that come on the flip side of that coin on the outside going right at keford and winning that matchup just the first kill tonight that's is the grad transfer McKenzie Martin to Lane transfer McKenzie Martin doing tonight exactly what she did earlier today and taking advantage of her opportunities to swing at the Double Double earlier that service is Off the Mark two service ears early on the Citadel The Citadel has had a few points that have been exciting momentum moving winning a good rally getting a good swing getting a good block but those errors those service errors are what has kept this set so far from feeling like they have the momentum here's the Freshman Lindsay Brown she had 11 digs against gramlin earlier today here's Martin changing speeds Alabama ready for it Campbell in the middle pushes it across back to Martin it's time to cadel tries the other [Applause] side there's a beautiful dig on the back row that was elri with a dig speaking of digs there's beri how about the defense we're seeing so far earlyer free bow in the Citadel cash in here's [Applause] Martin H she rips it down the line what a rally what a point for the Crimson TI you can feel the energy here in Foster as the crowd gets so excited the those are the most exciting points ones where players are diving all over the court keeping the ball alive such a smart move by Sophie AG to take that chaos going on on both sides of the court and find an open hole Martin plays it across just misses barely and Alabama goes up 64 those can be some of the toughest swings cuz if you watched Martin had to try to track the ball come from behind her over her right shoulder and then swing in front of her it's easy to miss on those a lot of times coaches encourage their players back up back up back up and it didn't seem like she did that to try to get behind the ball 3oh run for Alabama Hogan tried to dump it across tied ready for it AG with a swing Here Comes The Citadel keeper to Campbell there's that defense but that time cannot get it across first kill tonight for Chase Campbell beautiful job by keeper finding Campbell in transition that's something Campbell does a really really great job of is she's available for her Setter not just out of serve receive when she's gotten to wait on the ball but when she's just been up at the net blocking she finds a way to get back and get ready to swing nicely done that's Gomez her first kill for the senior out of comington Louisiana Hogan taking advantage of the fact that Alabama's middle blocker jumped with her to try to protect from a dump so her middle hitter got to swing on an open [Applause] net missed opportunity for the Citadel there's the senior Ruffin try to capitalize and she's shaking her head she would love to have that one back those points are always a little bit heartbreaking when you feel like oh I'm being handed the point let me swing on but we saw earlier today a player had that opportunity and swung and hit the net during it so those are always points where it's hard to stay disciplined keep the ball in the court so that is the first service ER tonight in this game for Alabama remember they had over 20 in their season opener against [Applause] scrambling elard serving had 23 digs earlier today soan labero a year season ago Keir long pass to AG up the top of the tape and down great job by AG coming in and swinging right between the middle and pin blockers for the Citadel caught a little bit of the net but still found the hole so here's the sophomore ke for serving she did not play the first three sets against gremlin and now she has an ace since she's been on the floor she's been the spark tonight for Alabama I have been so impressed by two players that started out on the bench for the tide but came in and capitalized by their on the on their opportunities and Cali kefir being one of the main ones she started sitting but when she got her opportunity to come in and play she has just absolutely earned her role and given her hitters great opportunities to swing the other one being par Thompson came in and took advantage of her opportunity and played really well for the tide earlier today she really did Thompson had 11 kills and both of those two players Kefir in thomps and they both came in late against Gremlin in that match that went five sets Alabama up 10 to S here's the senior Bill Hogan out of forway Indiana serving dumped across by Ruffin she missed one earlier she wasn't about to miss that one that's exactly what you want to do when you get an overpass just put it on the court take advantage of it don't try to do nothing too fancy I think she did a great job with that Hogan continues to serve her sister Delaney played volleyball at Xavier was a first team all confer selection of the Big East how about that response huge swing by Ashby Daniel true freshman middle Blocker we talked about one of the players who graduated and left this program was Aaliyah well she had been a starting middle blocker for Alabama volleyball for years and she left a hole that coach rinda Reed was determined to fill she brought in three great freshman middle blockers and right now Ashby Daniel is showing off why she earned that starting spot that's out two serving errors on Alabama Ruffin now serving for the Citadel she had the most Aces for the Bulldogs a season ago had almost 50 Ricochet off of Daniel we still going here and the Citadel is able to take advantage The Citadel took advantage of a not quite there Alabama block but in the middle of that rally we witnessed something that I have seen happen before but happens very rarely where a player actually covers her own block with her forehead and it went right back over the net props to Ashby Daniel for yeah you had her head in the game you mentioned the similar experience for you earlier against uh the gramlin game as Alabama picks up a much needed Point yes I definitely one of my um maybe it's just my most Vivid pre-season memories was I remember playing in a match and I was playing defense a ball came right at my head and I got my hands up as quick as I could but that ball definitely contacted my hands and just as much my head and I was just I looked up and I was like where did that ball go and somehow it was a great pass so I was just grateful that I was that I got the ball up it all worked out it all worked out but I definitely looked behind me before I looked in front of me to see where the ball went The Citadel got the deficit to [Applause] one on the outside here's Pierce Thompson again I mentioned her just a second ago but that's exactly what she was able to come in and do for the tide earlier she is really great in transition she's not a hitter who needs the set to be exactly perfect exactly in her box she's going to adjust to what the set is and find a way to score she does a really great job of getting her feet to the ball which can be one of the biggest learning curves for hitters here's Martin with a violent swing but it's Off the Mark I think it was smart for Martin to go for a really hard and heavy swing she might have been hoping that she was going to power through a little bit of an Alabama block but just missed a little long and didn't get any part of the blocker's hands retti had 16 digs in the win against gramlin earlier today Martin again pushes it across back row attack for AG Here Comes The Citadel they try the other side right through the hands of retti that was an absolute rocket beautiful swing from Childs going deep crosscourt I think she did a great job of changing the direction of that point as it was moving across to her side of the court she put the ball down Cross Court she'll serve it away here there's Thompson kept Alive by elard Campbell Ricochet is into the Nets and Alabama picks up a point powerful swing from Campbell there and that is what she's known for that's what she has grown into as a player for this Crimson Tide offense so Alabama at the immediate timeout goes up 1512 Over The Citadel in set one make this a summer to share in the three row Kia sento the tech forward Sportage the available all-wheel drive celtos or the IHS top safety pick plus tell you ride each one recommended by Consumer Reports this summer visit your local Kia [Music] dealer Kia movement that inspires drive into summer with a new Honda heading out for a day at the beach or a weekend in the mountains make an impression with the unmistakable style of the HRV or turn heads in the sporty Civic and when you drive a Honda you're driving with the 2024 Kelly blue books kbb.com best value brand so act now to get an offer you love buy online Reserve from select dealers or hurry into the Honda Summer [Music] Event welcome back to Tuscaloosa well earlier this month on August 6 it was announced where the Citadel volleyball head coach Dave Delano signed a 4year extension after the record breaking season from a year ago in which the Bulldogs wanton a program 27 matches so he has locked down at the Citadel for the next four years congratulations and certainly well earned and he was a lot of fun to visit with he told us in his over 20 years of coaching this is the first time ever that he's been at Tusa the University of Alabama so he was excited exciting to see him here for the first time and and definitely fun to be a part of this part of his career where he's really turned this program around and is developing quite a socon Powerhouse you can see him sitting on the sideline he did mention that he takes a seated approach to coaching he does his coaching and practice and he gives his girls the green light and lets them play during the matches we got to see them play earlier today against UT Martin and it was just fascinating to watch him Coach his coaching style sitting down we're about 2 feet away from where he was you can just hear everything that he was saying it was certainly a lot of fun watching him do what he does best definitely entertaining to hear his little the remarks he decided to make to himself linday Brown serving for the Crimson Tide only the outside to Martin dug out by beri tough pass to Campbell here come the Bulldogs back row attack for Ruffin Off the Mark that's who they want to go to and a rare misfire by Ruffin just her second Miss so far tonight Ruffin really trying to get going in this game she's got three kills so far but she is really like coach zenock said earlier this team Citadel team goes as Ali goes they are really following her lead and so if they can find a way to get her started if Bel Hogan can give her some more good looks so she can build her confidence in her swing this match that could be that could be the difference for the Citadel they really could well we touched on the head coach for the Citadel how about the head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tai now in her third season Renda Reed started off year three with a win in five sets earlier today against the gremlin and she's trying to go to 2 and0 tonight taking over cadel for the first time in program history [Applause] that's right she was an assistant coach at Illinois from 2017 to [Music] 2021 about 20 years ago I think if I'm correct she was a middle blocker yes exactly 20 years ago from 02 to 04 a middle blocker at the University of Georgia so another Bulldog program and really has blessed the Alabama middle blockers Chase Campbell being one in particular who grown a lot under her leadership and coaching with a lot of wisdom 40 run for [Applause] Alabama Lindsay Brown serving one of six true freshman on the roster largest roster for Alabama under their head coach Reed as that is sent into the net for the third serving error tonight on the Crimson [Applause] Tide McKenzie Martin serving picked up for eigh career double double with the performance earlier today against UT Martin Ruffin hamers it down the line speaking of double doubles Lane she has over 50 in her career 52 career double doues that just speaks to how good she is in transition she's so good at being both an offensive threat and a defensive asset she does a great job of being available for her Setter no matter what's going on on her side of the court that last swing shows that when she does get a good set she can just hammer away and cause real problems for her opponents [Music] [Applause] TR to set up Gomez ruffing with a violence swing and earns another kill for the Citadel she's got a team leing five what we saw just now is Alabama chose to serve the ball at Ruffin so that she was forced to pass and attack that's often a technique that coaches will use if they know an opposing team has an outside hitter that's going to take a lot of the load they want to make that hitter work that much harder and force them to pass the ball too and that's what she's done a lot throughout the course of her career absolutely coach zenock mentioned what a good passer she is for their team well not only that but she has so many swings and attempts at the fifth most attacks in all of college volleyball a season ago wow shows just how much the Bulldogs rely on her rely on her consistency almost 1500 swings last year for [Applause] ruing here she is wow that was a great job by Alabama's defense to stay under that ball but what a powerful swing there is just not much you can do about that she found that hole you see between the Middle blocker and the pin blocker's hands for Alabama and took advantage of it that's one thing she does really well is she knows what's in front of her so she knows when she has room to swing because the block isn't fully formed and she knows when she needs to go for the off speed shot or the tip that's six kills is a match high and Citadel head coach Dave dylano he told us the Bulldogs go as ruffing goes and she's off to a great start tonight absolutely something else he mentioned during our conversation with him ear earlier this week that I I loved was he said he tried to schedule as tough of a preseason schedule as team morale can handle and it goes to show he's got then here playing against SEC volleyball Alabama next weekend going to Nebraska to play the corn husters that shows a ton of confidence in the morale of this team and the mental fortitude of his players he really believes they can go out and compete with anyone and not get mentally defeated not lack in confidence but go out there and really come out putting attitude and effort above everything else yeah that's what you're talking about right there September the 5th in Lincoln to take on one of the top volleyball programs in the country in the Nebraska Corn Huskers by the way one year ago today in which Nebraska played the game in the football stadium with a record foral as a volleyball player I mean I teared up when I saw it I think it's so special that the sport of volleyball gets to hold the record for the most highly attended female sporting event in history and it's a testament to the to the fandom the volleyball fandom in Nebraska but also a testament to how much the sport has grown resum action with Alabama leading by two that's now cut to one another block that time by the junior buers second block tonight for the Citadel [Music] Alabama could improve a little bit after today in their Readiness to cover their hitters meaning getting around their hitter as they're playing the ball and being ready to pick the ball up if the other team's block gets it sometimes Alabama has looked surprised when the ball gets blocked speaking of blocks there's the first tonight for the Crimson side that was a great heads up play by Sophie AG recognizing the Bel Hogan the setter across the net was in the front row when she goes up to jump AG has to jump with her to make sure that Hogan doesn't throw the ball down across the net for a set or dump here's Ruffin with a running start just bouncing on the top of the tape and lands out of bounds I love that choice by Ruffin trying to go sharp cross you see I think it as it caught that tape it extended the Flight of the ball a little bit otherwise that would have been a great swing she missed just wide just roughing this time in the middle beautiful dig by berui The Citadel go back to Ruff and they do not that time they go to buyers and buyers is Al a great start for the Bulldogs can we talk about that dig byber two G tell me about staying under it is so hard to stay with your your head down and not let your body get thrown out when you see a girl swinging that hard she did a great job and despite that the Citadel finding a way to score the point and stay in this set they go right back to berui on a sir AG with a vicious swing try the other side to dunway and dunway wins that match up going right at the socon player of the year roughing that's what dunway does best just when you think okay Alabama's got to find a way to win this point those often times look like the moments that Cali keeper has looked for dunway and dunaway's found a way to score dunway found a way I didn't even mean to do that but I love that I dided pun intended I see what you did there it looks like this last point is being challenged we saw a lot of successful challenges earlier in the day oh excuse me it's a timeout I did not see the time out I thought it was a challenge too because I was looking at the Citadel head coach Dave zeleno and we were talking earlier about how he always sits down well that time he popped up walked over to the referee having a full long conversation so I assumed he was grabbing the card but I guess we totally misread the situation I think it was a smart idea to call the timeout though this gives his team a moment to breathe on every team I played in growing up we would do a drill called something like either you know 5 before 3 or 6 before 3 and right now that's the drill that this Citadel team is in they have to find a way to score six points before Alabama scores three this is a situation I'm sure coach zenock has put them in in practice more than once so they know the drill they know that there are certain things that are unaccessible you can't you you can't miss a surf you can't make a Mindless error like being in the net or being out of rotation this is time to lock in mentally and just take care of the ball something this team's done a really great job of is sticking in rallies staying Scrappy and hustling that's exactly what they need to do I think they got to focus on this one pass right here let Bell Hogan find the open hitter and let someone take a swing let see how the Citadel wants to play this coming out of the timeout with Alabama in front 22 to9 and what's been a very entertaining back and forth opening Seas [Applause] absolutely it feels like no matter what the score has been like the momentum is just up for grabs at any moment well that's what Alabama Wanted coming out of the timeout an ace for [Applause] AG that was a very very important serve and in moments throughout today where I thought ooh I wish the Alabama servers would lock in a little more in that specific moment AG did exactly what I've been hoping for all day she just got the ball in and was able to get the ace first tonight LED Mississippi State in Aces last year beer long pass to Thompson is it in it is Thompson again with that heavy arm swing able to find open court deep in the Bulldog's back row you see she hit right between the hands of the middle and pin blocker for the Citadel that's a great job of seeing what's in front of her and Swinging where she had space not a lot of attacks between the two games today but she's so efficient when she does s here's her up and she's in the middle kefir over to Dunaway she gets it right back other side to Thompson wasn't touched at the net she says it was the point is awarded to the Citadel it looks like she was really hoping for the touch call but she never looked and told Coach Reed to grab the challenge card which pretty much tells you she knows she swung long on that shot a pass to denway but she does get it over here's Martin free ball now Alabama on the move dunway again just pushes it across here's Childs Childs continues to deliver early for the Bulldogs we've seen a pattern of this gray of the Alabama blockers getting their bodies to where they needed need to be to block but not their hands what happens when they get their body out there but not their hands as you see the ball bounces off the platform of their block and out of bounds on the other side of the net there's a huge emphasis on pushing your hands back towards the center of the opposite side of the court so almost thinking like they're going up and making a push moment to make sure if the ball Ricochet is off their hand it lands in the opponent's spt here you see one of the new faces for the Citadel Sophie Childs this is actually her third different stop played two seasons at wital State 36 matches played played last year at Texas State a very good program in the Sun Belt something coach zenock talked about working on in the off season with this Citadel team is ball control that means eliminating errors making Mak sure they're taking care of the pass making sure they're making the smart decision when they're swinging and speeding up their offense I think Bel Hogan has done a great job of that and as you can see a lot of their players with really high hitting percentages speaks to the advantages of that when you run a faster offense you have more room to swing it's more likely that the opponent's block is not fully formed and I think child has been a great example of someone who's been able to see what's in front of her and swing when she had space make the smart shot what does Alabama have to do to wrap up the opening set if I'm coach Reed I'm telling them just focus on the pass get the pass because all these hitters have found ways to score and have been great in critical moments so really I think set C keer has her pick it's just about making sure Cali keer has a good enough pass that she can run her [Applause] offense Thompson did they go back to her they will hereis Thompson pushes it in the corner here's Martin there's a tangle and a tie up at the Nets and the point goes to the Citadel I think Dunaway touches the net for Alabama actually I immediately saw the frustration out of Ashby Daniel knowing she'd come down and hit the net 3-0 Run for the Citadel Thompson looking for the win and she got it in set one Paris Thompson with their third kill of the night secures a 2522 Alabama Victory step aside and be back set two coming up next in [Music] tus make this a summer to share in the three row Kia sento the tech forward Sportage the available all-wheel drive seltos or the iihs top safety pick plus tellu ride each one recommended by Consumer Reports this summer visit your local Kia [Music] dealer Kia movement that inspires you I still have questions about almond milk have enough to deal with get the Honda Accord engineer safety resale you can't go wrong with a Honda block from watching the big match save the day by using the Bank of America customized cash rewards card and choose to earn 3% cash back on online purchases like live streaming Alabama takes the opening set 2522 over the Citadel well even though Citadel did not take set one socon player of the year Ruffin is really off to a fantastic start tonight I think anyone in the gym right now is talking about what an incredible performance she just had and we're definitely seeing what coach zenak was talking about in their match earlier today she seemed a little B bit quieter on the court now she's really showing off just what a huge impact she can make so she's just an allaround fantastic athlete obviously we've seen what she's been able to do throughout the course of her career on the volleyball court how about this also the socon javelin champion last year where she threw a program record almost threw at 50 m that's incredible that is wild and so impressive but just shows we're seeing how powerful that arm is on the volleyball court and she takes it outside and really shows off just how strong she is I mean just launching that ja think she think she watched the Olympics this summer did you watch the Olympics this summer I did you know I wonder what she enjoyed watching more did she watch Javelin or did she watch volleyball more we need to ask her during the timeout we'll find out what you watch the most this summer did anything stand out to you what was your favorite you know probably volleyball but I did have swimming on a lot I just kind of was in the room while it was on a lot I feel like another fast start for the Bulldogs So speaking of the Olympics how about America 13 division one athletes that's incredible when you think about it really really [Applause] is and of course the next Summer Olympics will be in Los Angeles in [Music] 2028 you know to an Alabama La stands for lower Alabama that's right but very exciting to have it in [Applause] [Music] America what a start for the Bulldogs 3 0 Ry the kickoff set two this is exactly what I expected to see out of the Bulldogs they're coming out and saying just because y'all got set one does not mean that we're going to go away quietly we are going to give you a run for your money and they're coming out really offensively clicking taking advantages of the swings that they [Applause] get there's the Freshman Daniel we might have a challenge here [Applause] maybe for the moment that's the first point for Alabama Citadel coaches were looking for a lift call there and while I don't necessarily agree that it was a lift this U has been calling the lift calls very very tight so a lot of coaches are either like you call it tight where you call it loose but do it consistently on both sides of the net it is a very subjective call though so it can change from referee to referee The Citadel they have been on fire to kick off set two it's a 4-1 lead early for the Bulldogs definitely taking advantage of some early Alabama erors [Applause] [Music] [Applause] back row attack did not see a lot of that in the first game for ag ag to Mark a little bit with a dig and it's now a 5-1 lead for the Citadel their largest lead tonight and they're really coming out looking very polished on offense Bel Hogan's doing a great job of mixing up who she said obviously giving ruin her opportunities but spreading the love as well service s that is the fourth tonight on The Citadel we'll see if Alabama can capitalize as freshman middle blocker Ashby Daniel goes back to serve Chase Campbell on the floor as well now for [Music] Alabama back row attack to Ruff and angles it in the corner book it what a beautiful swing from Ali Ruffin finding the just last edge of that right back corner beautiful [Music] [Applause] shot there's Campbell that's been her specialty all day long in both matches today I know set C Keepers excited to get that point something that's always on the Setter's mind early in each match and and early in in each set is doing something called establish your middle meaning make sure you give your middle blocker an opportunity to get a really good swing that way the other team's middle blocker is always having to think about your middle hitter and not being able to release to block either of your PIN [Applause] hitters everything go in the way of the Bulldogs in the second set that time it's McKenzie Martin racking up her fourth kill [Music] that was a great job by the Alabama block slowing that ball down but sometimes even getting that little touch the ball can land in just the wrong spot Keir to Thompson long way to go for the Bulldogs ruin flips it across Alabama reloads Campbell does it again beautiful swing by Campbell going behind herself and Swinging crosscourt I love that decision by Setter C keeper if you were paying really close attention actually right before the ball was in Keeper's hands she looked across the net to see what are the Citadel blockers doing and when she saw that the Citadel middle middle blocker was still in front of her and hadn't followed Chase she knew she could give Chase a really good opportunity to swing [Applause] Gomez try to get it across quickly instead now they go to ruffen good effort by repet to try to keep it alive but the Citadel picks up another point four-point lead for the Bulldogs we're seeing a lot of Scrappy play a lot of willingness to sacrifice your body to keep the ball alive which I think is making this match just so exciting [Applause] AG in the corner hits the referee but he's standing out of bounds we've had some Brave line judges here today we saw one Take a Tumble earlier trying to man her post it's a dangerous job not a job I would want for a lot of reasons but a timeout is called on the floor here we'll take a timeout as well the Citadel leads Alabama 94 this summer is the perfect time to get away with a great deal on your favorite Hyundai models all backed by America's best warranty plus 3 years or 36,000 Mi of complimentary maintenance add more joy to your journey hurry into the Hyundai getaway Sales Event but Act Fast the hottest deals of the summer won't last get in and getaway now now for a limited time get 1.99% APR for 60 months on the Hyundai Tucson or Tucson hybrid hurry into the Hyundai getaway Sales Event you I still have questions about almond milk have enough to deal with get the Honda Accord engineering safety resale you can't go wrong with a Honda block from watching the big match save the day by using the Bank of America customized cash rewards card and choose to earn 3% cash back on online purchase like live streaming a big reason why the Citadel has a fivepoint lead instead two Sophie child has been fantastic in the second set she has done a great job of seeing what's in front of her when it comes to the Alabama block and swinging around it she's got a definitely a height Advantage but also is just being smart with her shots it's been fun to see her really come alive this second [Applause] set Ag and the middle nice dig great effort by elur other side to chase Campbell a spinner area today in the middle just attacking it she leads Alabama with six kills tonight such a smart move by C kefir going against the flow you see she was running forward yet thre the ball behind her that really can throw off the Mojo and what the defense on the other side is expecting that was a beautiful set to a beautiful swing firers wasn't pretty but it gets the job done for the Citadel a point is a point right like we've established a kill is a kill it doesn't matter what it looks like so these Citadel players finding ways to continue to rock up points on that scoreboard there's Bill Hogan now a senior she won the starting job as the setter as a true freshman and has been able to maintain it ever since and now she's got an [Music] ace that was a great float serve and she's been a strong server for the Citadel today as [Applause] well she had three Aces earlier today in their win against UT Martin tough pass to Daniel pushes it across here's [Music] child how about that heads up play by the senior B Hogan saying all right here's a little area let me let me just push it across a lot of times in those kind of out of system funky the ball's going back and forth plays that little corner can wind up being open so it's such a smart move by B Hogan to just throw the ball right over the net right there [Applause] AG going right at child's and child's with a block Childs did a great job of tracking AG in she knew exactly where she was exactly where that swing was coming and look at her hands get high above the net and you see them lean back in to push the ball down to the middle of the Alabama [Applause] Court Hogan had a double double earlier against UT Martin was a middle attack nicely done by the true freshman powerful swing by Ashby Daniel it's very important like I kind of mentioned earlier that Cali kefir establishes the Middle With both Daniel as well as with Campbell and she did a great job there of making sure Daniel had a powerful swing that she could build some confidence and momentum off of kefir tonight already 16 assists and now she has an ace I think I think that might be Keeper's second Ace of the night that was a beautiful deep float serve that it really looked like the Bulldogs just couldn't get out of the seres way that is indeed her second Ace tonight almost a third [Applause] one here's AG Hogan Middle attack goes a tough pass to buers AG going right at Ruffin What a Night for Ruffin largest lead of the night for the Citadel these rallies have been great I'm seeing great volleyball on both sides of the net but right now when it comes to the end of the point the Citadel is just being really smart and finding places to score Hogan to Childs now the Bulldogs try the other side and it works for McKenzie Martin that was a beautiful swing off the hands of the Alabama block I think she did that intentionally tried to kind of swipe over against their hands Alabama's really got a lock in on blocking make sure they are no longer being taken advantage of like they kind of have in a pattern today what does Alabama want to go to here miscommunication out of sorts free ball Bulldogs back to Martin D away Taps it over long pass to Childs out of the reach of dway it's another kill for child she's up to seven child's doing a great job of hacking away on the ball finding different shots Alabama's taking an extra second and a substitution here we see Kayla kach subbing back in she set earlier today but then sat for the tide coming back in to run the tide offense just try to switch things up see if they can change the momentum [Applause] here a key shock in the game for the first time tonight after starting against gramlin here's Childs keyock first pass of the KN AG barely misses it in the corner that's a and it was touched at the net though so the point does indeed go to Alabama great job by AG finding a way to score and getting them out of that rotation that brings Paris Thompson back in who's been a really consistent player for the tide tonight [Applause] Martin that's when you know it's going your way right that really is you see that ball landed right between the net and Ashby Daniel's body I think that might be a little bit of a reflection of the fact that she's been caught in the net a few times so she's still trying to get up above the net but is scared to touch it so she was a little too far off during that block Ru and calling forward sets up [Applause] Martin ke shock on the outside to dunway dunway again that was a critical point for Alabama they needed to win that point for the momentum and dunway being reliable such a smart job turning that ball against the direction that her body was moving in [Applause] middle attack can't do it any better than that setting up Sophie Childs executed to Perfection that was a beautiful job by Sophie Childs she kind of hid herself behind the center but made her approach to come in front and that could not have looked [Applause] prettier ni take by elard here's [Applause] Martin ruing from the back row here's Thompson change of speeds child's prepared for it Martin on the outside through the hands of keyock dunway Alabama reloads back to dunway what grit shown by both teams that was a beautiful rally we saw the ball going back and forth dunway denied last time but found a hole and a way to score I love watching points like that where both teams are showing they're not going to [Applause] [Music] quit side attack for Gomez nice dig by AG and Campbell in the middle that's been there all day long for Chase Campbell that was a beautiful beautiful point a perfect dig by Sophie AG playing in the back row giving keyock the opportunity to find Chase Campbell in the middle that can't that can't be executed better that's a beautiful job by Campbell making herself available to key shock getting off the net quickly after her block and what a powerful swing that is so difficult to defend a challenge has been issued by the Citadel so we will take another look at that previous swing but for the moment it's a point and a kill for Alabama and Chase Campbell I believe coach zenock is asking that the referees take a second to make sure Campbell did not make contact with the net when she hit that ball it's tough to see from that angle looking to see if any part of her body made contact with the net again it's it's so tough to watch that and try to see if maybe she made contact with the middle part of the net on her way down that's what I'm assuming they're trying to look at right now because it's clear she didn't make contact with the tape which is a common error is a player will be finishing their swing and in the follow through accidentally make contact with that white top part of the net that's called the tape so first review of the nights and again we touched on it earlier but a new reviewing system in the SEC the Hawkeye smart replay system also used by the NFL Major League Baseball n CH in the English Premier League and Nicole stands successful I'm sorry unsuccessful challenge for Coach zenock Alabama will keep the [Music] point tough pass to Martin but it worked for the [Applause] Citadel off balance slightly out of her reach doesn't phas her yes you see I think I heard Hogan apologize for the set it was a little bit outside of the antenna so Martin just did what she could with it and still sometimes that'll score for you that is the fifth serving error tonight on the Citadel [Music] Thompson off the floor The Freshman Lindsay Brown enters for Alabama she's now [Applause] serving so backto back service ears this has been a really competitive match so far but always a little bit of a gut punch seeing a couple Miss serves they're like trading them back and forth and of course now an ace right backto back service airs followed up by an ace every coach talks about how important the serve and pass game is so got to get those serves in and if you're the one passing got to make sure they don't land [Applause] key shock to AG Martin trying to dig it out out of the reach of eler that's who Alabama really wants to get involved moving forward that is the fifth kill tonight for Sophie a that was a great swing by AG often times when players look up at the scoreboard and see their team behind behind a good junk of points it's easy for them to think okay I just can't miss and it's important that they still swing away AG did a great job of remaining aggressive up at the net what an answer in response by speaking of aggressive that arm swing if it gets to the block as a Defender you're really just hoping you got re your read position just perfect cuz it's going to be hard to move and get behind that ball and get it up in a place your Setter can play it a match High Nine Kills for Ruffin also has five digs by the way nicely done by AG he ricocheted off the side of the [Applause] block great job by Franchesca bruchi to find AG on the pin who remained calm in that out of system situation and swung nice and high nice dig by keyock here's stun [Applause] away Hogan that was a long pass to Childs here's a Hogan back to Childs kind of stumbled a little bit looks like there was a misstep there at some point in child's approach and she almost just had to jump backwards good to see her smiling about it though a packed house good to have volleyball back season opener today for both of these teams there's AG again that's two in a row beautiful swing by Sophie Ag and great job of Kayla keyock who's now going back to the service line she's been mixing up her offense throwing it behind her to dunway and that that time pushing it out to the PIN to find AG who's just on fire right now Slide Attack buers fantastic dig by berui but Alabama misses long that snaps the three-oh Run for the Grimson [Applause] TI Alabama right now is just focused on one point at a time staying in this set and really long-term staying in this match because even if this set doesn't go their way if they can build some momentum at the end of this set that'll be huge in telling what the third set will look like that was a great shot of the pancake dig by for two2 how many pancake digs did you have too many to count first of all you don't want to have a pancake dig that means you probably weren't in the right position so as fun as they look and as cool as they look you really want to be able to get your full platform under it and it is an absolute Last Resort option for if you just really aren't able to get there so I'm never going to brag about how many pancake dicks I had but they do they look so cool don't they Superman dive that's right [Music] extension freshman Off the Mark and the Citadel has set point here trying to make it one set a piece looks like that freshman middle blocker looking to just kind of figure out what the timing is exactly and that's what you expect out of opening weekends well you touched on it earlier just how challenging and difficult that position is and the Citadel takes set two 2517 over Alabama tied at 1 set each into exclusive set three coming up next this summer is the perfect time to get away with a great deal on your favorite Hyundai models all backed by America's best warranty plus 3 years or 36,000 M of complimentary maintenance add more joy to your journey hurry into the Hyundai getaway Sales Event but Act Fast the hottest deals of the summer won't last get in and get away now now for a limited time get one point 99% APR for 60 months on the Hyundai Tucson or Tucson hybrid hurry into the Hyundai getaway Sales Event drive into summer with a new Honda heading out for a day at the beach or a weekend in the mountains make an impression with the unmistakable style of the HRV or turn heads in the sporty Civic and when you drive a Honda you're driving with the 2024 Kelly BL books kbb.com best value brand so act now to get an offer you'll love Buy on line Reserve from select dealers or hurry into the Honda Summer [Music] Event match summary so far through the first two sets Alabama takes the opening set 2522 The Citadel responds by taking the second frame 257 what has stood out to you so far through the first two sets right now what I am seeing is is when these hitters get an opportunity to swing they're I think they're making good decisions we're not seeing a ton of attacking errors so I think the name of the game for this next set is how well can these teams pass how well can they put the ball right on top of their Setter's head so the setter can run their offense how they want to and really give their hitters a lot of opportunities a great indicator of that is that chase Campbell when she's gotten the opportunity to swing she's had six kills and is hitting seven 750 it is critical that Alabama finds a way to pass the ball right on their Setter's head so that she has the opportunity to connect with her middles CU when they've had the opportunity to swing they're highly highly successful we've talked a lot about ali rofin Ruffin excuse me and she has done just a great job no one's surprised that the Bulldogs keep looking to her over and over and over again and she seems just like The Little Engine That Could she will not quit she keeps swinging heavy she's got tons of energy that she's brought to this match well you touch on Campbell for Alabama she has been the bright spot tonight for the Crimson Tide she's got six kills second most tonight I can't talk enough about how athletic it is what these hitters are able to do with their bodies the way they hang in the air make contact with the ball right at their Peak spot and know how to flick their wrist and the last little part of their contact to make it go to different areas of the court it's incredibly impressive and difficult to master what makes the wrist and the thumb placement so important on a swing it totally changes think of it like this think of it like how pitchers in baseball have different ways that they grip the ball to change the spin to change how it comes out of their hand when you manipulate how you do what's called snapping your wrist or as you make contact with the ball bringing your fingers down to almost try to touch your forearm that motion what you do with your thumb the direction you turn your thumb totally manipulates the spin that's on the ball interesting feel like you just taught me so much there see like just in incredible of just how something that seems so simple has such an impact on the game absolutely I personally was never able to do that and never asked to try at only 56 but the players who do it well I've always been very very impressed by set three [Applause] underway what a start for [Applause] Thompson this Alabama team fired up after that first point and you can tell they're out here really wanting to take back this third set coming out strong With That Swing From Paris Thompson [Applause] [Music] Citadel out of sorts after the serve jumped across Campbell with a quick hands key shock tried to slice it across lands out of bounds tied at [Applause] one so again the setter position has been something that we have been watching for Alabama tonight ke with a start in this match up it has been a lot of key shock key shock entered the second set she Begins the third set both Setters have done a great job with the opportunities they've been given here's the first kill tonight for the Sanford transfer but that kill will be taken away because she made contact with the net on her way down unfortunately Ali Ruffin serves it just deep out the end of the court to bring it back to Tai game and now Lind Brown enters to service for Alabama [Applause] [Music] [Applause] tough pass and out of the reach up Childs so Alabama takes a 3-2 lead I think that was a great idea by Bel Hogan to try to throw the ball behind her as she was moving forward but you see that set just went about three feet too far and there was not much Childs could do with [Music] it two teams meeting for the first time ever tonight to kick off the season another kill for Mar she's got seven there are now three Citadel players with seven kills or more beautiful job by McKenzie Martin swinging through the hole in that block that speaks to how much the Citadel worked on in the offseason speeding up their offense and now an ace for the [Music] Bulldogs Tough Top Spin serve [Music] there always as a Defender to keep in mind those Top Spin servs will die in front of you if you're not careful that time the Citadel prepared for the middle attack by Chase Campell five blocks now for the [Applause] Citadel on the outside to AG bounces off the top of the tape and drops home it's a great sharp Cross Court swing from AG to keep Alabama in this [Music] set keep Alabama in this [Music] [Music] [Applause] set over to Mor [Music] ke shock trying to set up [Applause] [Music] AG so now the citadels taking a 64 lead over Alabama two of the citadel's six points have been net violations by Alabama which might not sound by like much but when you think about 30% of their points so far in this set being just Mindless errors the little things tougher pill to swallow to add up absolutely now a 74 lead for the Citadel sopie child serving that is now eight errors on the Bulldogs a lot of coaches talk about how over the course of the Season tolerance for unforced errors meaning an error that the other team didn't force you to make an error that the other team had no role in like maybe a double being in the net a missed serve tolerance for those goes way down as the season progresses shock over to dunway this time the other side to a who delivers 10 kills a match high for Sophie a a just looks fired up and determined this match she keeps swinging so heavy and that time just too hard too overpowering for the hands of Bel Hogan a two times in a row that time getting up taking advantage of the overpass I always like to give credit to the server Kayla kach with a tough float serve forc the overpass so while that will go under Sophie AG statline we have to shout out Kayla keyock who picks up a ace now for the Crimson TI this has been a 40 run for Alabama that is a huge momentum shift right there for the tie and a timeout taken by the Citadel we'll step aside as well 8-7 lead for Alabama [Music] sorry honey it's a work thing mine's also a work thing I just need someone to cover my shift so is mine Alan says your business vehicle is now covered with Progressive protected 24/7 just like your home in Auto oh that's great so dinner time is just phone time now sorry you know I heard that ground turkey is the healthiest poultry you know what never mind just be on your phon labor day savings are here let's put fall into motion and Tackle turning colors warm up welcomes and add light to logs fall starts with Labor Day savings at the home demo likelihood to win 2% yeah you think relax Bob she's not talking about our match those are AI generated insights about the US Open from IBM Watson X so you're saying I still have a chance slim and none who's got next Alabama's taken an 8-7 lead over the Citadel Crimson tied on a 40 run as K gets ready to serve [Applause] it keyock to Daniel Here Comes The Citadel long pass to Martin Alabama somehow gets it over Martin second attempts keyock with the Dig here's aging on the outside Martin beautiful dig by [Applause] keyock side attack for Gomez and the Citadel finally wins the point to tie it at eight that was a lot of Scrappy defense out of Alabama and the Bulldogs really taking advantage of the fact that they got some free balls and some easier things coming across the net from Alabama and kept swinging away and just really wed their way into winning that point Mackenzie Martin serving the two-lane transfer had a two lane program record 41 digs in a match did that against SMU that's off Target and now the Citadel leap RS back in front 98 over Alabama that ball went a little long with a rare error from Kyla dunway I like the decision to try to swing line [Applause] though AG with a missile dug out by Martin Rin with a running start was a touch at the net it was not tied at nine a lot of times in those rallies it can get get easy to get wrapped up in the excitement and a hitter will go up and swing their arms so hard almost forgetting to do what I talked about earlier snap the wrist at the top of the ball so you saw that ball came out of Ruffin's hand with really no spin on it which points to the fact she didn't get that nice Snap On Top of the ball to get it to force force it to go down into the [Music] [Applause] [Music] court keyot to Thompson she has just been a ball of energy today she just gets results five kills tonight great swing by Thompson all of these players have shown a lot of just toughness and they're not giving up they're continuing to swing hard they're not letting the pressure of the point lead them to go to an offe speed shot when they're choosing to make an offs speed shot it's an intentional smart decision Ruffin floats it across thomps it again here they go to her second time they go to Daniel The Freshman drops it home smart decision by Daniel the ball was not perfectly in her window to swing so she goes up and just puts it right in the hole of the Citadel defense [Music] ruin trying to get going again and boy do she deliver 10 kills to pave the way for the Citadel powerful swing from Ali Ruffin and as the Alabama team you know she's going to have those swings and you know she's going to get those points I don't think that's something that this tie team is getting bogged down in they're transitioning quickly to the next point and thinking okay let's swing back now [Applause] Thompson towards the back line elar keeps it alive for the Citadel ruin punches it into the [Applause] net that was a great effort on an out of system pass by Hogan to get the ball all the way out there to ruffen but it is tough when the ball's in the air that long to get a crisp clean swing on it Alabama they have done a better job in the second match today against the Citadel cleaning up fewer service a that was just number six tonight after more than 20 against scin earlier there is a period of time it got hard to watch earlier today a little bit wanted to close my eyes every time a server went back but they're definitely serving stronger tonight Campell shows off her street there six kills tonight for Chase Campbell that is exactly what set Kaya keop wants to do anytime she has the opportunity she wants to find Campbell in transition and give her that beautiful sweat that she can swing away on two-point lead for Alabama the Childs with the swing Campell in the middle pushes into the corner Martin there for the Citadel here's child switches [Applause] sides on pass to Thompson and Thompson what a night for Paris Thompson she's up to six kills Thompson with such a powerful swing that was beautiful beautiful effort on her part [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Ruffin nice dig by retti Thompson cannot be stopped two kills in a row Thompson with a beautiful swing off of a beautiful set that was made possible by an incredible dig by Natalie retti that is one of the hardest hardest swings to dig that crosscourt deep in the court she did exactly what you need to do it's easy to get caught in pulled into the court she did a great job of staying back getting that ball up so that keyock could lift it up so that Paris Thompson had so much room to swing away I think this Alabama offense is clicking much better in this set than they were the second really showing off all the skills of all the different players what do you attribute that to ball control 100% I think they've done a much better job of especially in defensive transition getting the ball onto the Setter's head or within a few steps of where the Setter's kind of home base is in volleyball we talk a lot about in system versus out of system passes an in system pass means that the setter is able to set any of her hitters she's in a position where she could set the middle she could set the right side behind her she could set her back R player she could set her outside an out of system pass is when the Setters either pulled so far across the net or so far off the net that she really only has one or two options maybe she could set her back row hitter or her pin hitter but she's not in a position to set her middle I think Alabama has done a great job at keeping keyock in system this set and remember she did not start this match up against the Citadel she came in earlier in set two and has been able to make a difference since she's been out on the floor for the saf for transfer wanted 10 newcomers on the roster for Alabama lead for the Crimson Tide right now in this rotation all four transfers in are on the court for Alabama showing how much coach Renda Reed has taken advantage of coaching in the era of the player portal the transfer portal yeah new new era indeed again she told us in her conversation with her earlier this week this is the largest roster that she's ever had at any [Applause] [Music] point nicely done on the outside by Sophie Childs and nicely done by you to make the catch off the Ricochet I think I just saved your saved your life you kind of did much appreciated anytime timeout taken by Alabama after the Citadel has sliced away into the Alabama league so we were just touching on all the newcomers for Alabama 10 total newcomers six of those are true freshman and four of those are transfers and we were just alluding to keyock the sa for transfer one of the many new faces another one of those Pierce Thompson as well the Notre Dame transfer we've seen a lot of these transfers make an impact not only tonight against sadell but earlier today against scramlin as well that's right of those new 10 players I'm counting six of them really playing critical roles in this lineup Kayla keyock obviously running the offense Natalie retti coming in as a defensive specialist a true freshman as well Lindsay Brown newcomer coming in as a defensive specialist and Paris Thompson and Sophie AG both transfers playing on the outside other new face is Daniel Ashby true freshman who's playing in the middle that's that's six very key roles that are brand new to Tesa brand new to this program it speaks to how well coach Renda Reed has done at getting them into their system and integrating them into the Alabama volleyball culture well that's that's what makes the transfer portal fascinating different head coaches different teams have different philosophies when you look at the Citadel they're three key players all seniors they all had the opportunity to leave and go somewhere else but they all made the decision they wanted to stick around and stay they are trying to win the soan tournament for the first time in program history and a big reason why they came back they want to accomplish that [Music] mission shock to Campbell there's spers and again the Bulldogs stay hot this has been a mini run here for the Citadel now trailing by one I know coach Reed was hoping that her team would end this little Citadel run that we're seeing after coming out of that timeout but Alli Ruffin continues to serve that's out so that snaps the three-oh Run by the Bulldogs that was a much needed point for Alabama [Applause] so after tonight Alabama they will wrap up this tournament tomorrow they will take on UT Martin under of the Ohio Valley Conference ke shock to AG Sophie AG a match leading 12 kills tonight I love seeing a hitter stay down in defense Sophie made that dig and kak chose to go straight back to her so that AG could finish the point with that beautiful swing that pass to attack sequence is always fun to watch tough play at the net Martin got her fingertips on it here's Campbell in the corner just put too much on it [Music] good idea just could not capitalize we've seen a lot of that tonight a lot of what I would call right decision wrong [Music] [Applause] execution ring for that time off the mark she that's her specialty she has the unique serve and she was off the mark that time that Top Spin serve got her an ace the last time see she was at the service line this time she missed that's pretty common with those Top Spin [Applause] serves Martin goes right at the Block another kill for McKenzie Martin She's got eight the offense tonight for the Citadel they just been so balanced this is now three players with at least eight kills [Applause] and they've done a great job of swinging through the not quite fully formed Alabama block new true freshman Ellery Reese checks in to play middle in this rotation first time she has played [Applause] today outside to AG ring there for the Citadel here's Martin unleashes [Music] [Applause] there a long pass by keyock here come the Bulldogs dumped across by Hogan keyock sing up the Freshman for a first career kill first career kill in her first career point you cannot ask for more as a coach when you've got players waiting every player on this team knows that coach Reed's going to be playing with the roster and so as they sit on the bench they're waiting for their opportunity and I'm sure as a coach she loves to see the way the Ellery Reese was ready to come in and play and make an immediate [Music] [Applause] impact it's followed up by a serving here number seven on the Crimson Tide Alabama took set one The Citadel responded by taking set two first meeting ever between these two that time Reese The Freshman got tied up at the Nets The Citadel has cut the deficit to one that looks like a bit of a miscommunication up at the net coach Reed calls a timeout I think that's a smart decision by her give her team in a minute to talk take a deep breath reconnect talk about what they're going to do offensively out of ser Reed in this rotation hopefully turn things around so that the Citadel doesn't continue to just chop away keeping themselves in the set look at what Sophie a has done remember this is her debut today at Alabama career-high 22 kills in the first game against Gremlin and she's been awfully good tonight as well we can definitely see anytime Alabama is out of system at all the whole gym knows where the ball is going the tide is looking to Sophie a to make a smart decision with the ball I think she's done a great job of knowing when to try to swing for the kill and knowing when to try to place the ball in a spot that keeps the point going but also forces the Citadel to make an athletic to play She's definitely facing a bigger Block in this match so it'll be interesting to see how that continues to play as the Citadel blockers get more and more reps reading her attack reading her approach 12 kills is a match high so one thing to monitor for Alabama it appears that keyock is getting ready to sub out for the sophomore keeper they have been switching tonight against the Citadel kefir got the start tonight she picked up 16 assists that was about to a set and a half it does not surprise me that coach Reed is playing around with different lineups and really trying to see who to her hitters connect with best here's Keir trying to set up dunway and dunway look she hit it off the top of the tape got a piece of the antenna as well so the Citadel coming out of the timeout they tied at 19 looks like dunway was a little bit late on that [Music] approach AG from the back row puts Bama back in front huge very timely swing by so AG while she heads back to the service line and Paris Thompson checks in she looked fired up running to the substitution line ready to swing up there for the tide seems like she's fired up for everything she's been a bright spot she's brought a ton of a ton of energy to the court every time she's been out there for sure there Ruffin looking for the tie can't do it two-point lead for Alabama oh actually the point it was indeed touched at the net so it is tied at 20 some of those can be so hard to see blink and you miss it but Ruffin was able to get a piece of the Alabama [Applause] block here's Pierce [Applause] Thompson Hogan got to set up Mar from the back row 2120 Alabama a bit of an untimely attack ER I know that's a moment that Citadel wanted to capitalize and keep building some momentum The Freshman Reese serving for the first time in her career she's from Chicago Illinois [Applause] [Music] this will be a tough sequence at the Nets but it's no problem for Chase Campbell the Alabama bench practically crawling on the court that's rare what we just got to witness Ellery reath in the back row cuz she's back there to serve and the lero can only serve for one of the middles and she got the dig on that point so we saw a middle make the Dig and a middle make the attack for a kill R and trying to respond Alabama trying to go up by three done away nice dig by elur and the Citadel they're not going to go away easily that was a great swing to get the point the Bulldogs just will not go away they're staying in the game they're staying in every rally forcing Alabama to really find a creative way to score their points Alabama has done the same right back for the Citadel keeper over to dunway rochet off of kefir dunway pushes it over here comes the Citadel tying it at 22 is aiyah buers we talked about the impact that the midds have made for Alabama's offense but talk about that swing right there buyers abolutely hammering away at the ball where she saw open space this is an important serve right here and Hogan with an ace in the corner that was a beautiful float serve it's clear the tied passers thought that ball was going to float on out but it just dropped out of nowhere it really did Dave Eno told us B Hogan doesn't get rattled doesn't get phased so consistent from day [Applause] [Music] one there's Thompson ring it up ties the match at 23 Harris Thompson doing exactly what her team needed her to do you see she waits on that approach goes up hard and fast it can get easy especially towards the end of a long day of playing for hitter to start to make their approach early and make it a long and slow approach but every coach wants their players to wait and make it a hard and fast approach that was a great great job by Ruffin misses it down the line it is set point for Alabama must win by two the crowd is fired up in here hoping to see Alabama capitalize on that attack error rson TI trying to go up two sets to one here's child got a whistle and a violation on Alabama to tie the match at [Music] [Applause] 24 don't forget this is a set to 25 but must win by two so this point is not a set point for either team [Applause] Thompson with a forem was a touch at the Nets it wasn't Thompson campaigning for a challenge I don't think we're going to get one The Citadel takes a one-point lead that makes it set point for the Citadel Ali ruen back to serve I know coach Reed right now is wishing that she kept one of her timeouts a little longer jumped across by Keir tie at 25 there is nothing better than that as a Setter than knowing my hitters taking have taken a lot of breaths I know this defense is on their heels waiting to see another heavy swing out of Paris Thompson or chase Campbell and she went up and just caught them unprepared with a beautiful Setter [Music] dump must win by two Lindy Brown serving to pass to buyers on the outside to Mark who does Bama go to kefir to Campbell Hogan setting up Charles and Kell with a stu at the net T teaming with Sophie a set point Alabama huge block for the tide great job by sopie AG you see she jumped up and pushed those hands so far across the net that was a beautiful beautiful [Applause] job up play at the Nets Alabama takes it 2725 to go up two sets to one coach Reed fired up Alabama fired up we're heading to set four and Tuscaloosa [Applause] welcome back to Tuscaloosa Alabama up two sets to one over the Citadel and the Notre Dame transfer Paris Thompson the senior out of Fort Meers Florida has been a Difference Maker tonight for the Crimson TI what I've LED about watching her play so far tonight is she's just not afraid to swing a lot of times intense moments attackers will be to let up a little bit on their swing because they don't want to make a mistake Paris Thompson is going up there with a ton of effort a ton of fight and she is swinging away on every ball that she can this has created real problems for the bul dog defense you can see those eight kills she has hitting 300 it's a beautiful hitting percentage for the senior transfer she had 11 kills in the victory against gramlin and that was that was all pretty late she did not play the first three sets against Gremlin did a ton of damage late she has played a ton tonight against the Citadel so Alabama will serve it to begin set number four it'll be the Freshman from Chicago Rees and she starts the set with an air [Applause] who's checked into the match last set and that was her Crimson tie debut in her first point she got a kill that's a great way it's a great way to come onto the [Applause] court back attack for [Music] a there's [Applause] Childs done away right through the hands of the senior Bell Hogan for the kill great job by Dunaway going cross court on that [Music] ball this is Natalie retti transfer out of UC San [Music] Diego let the team in digs a season ago [Applause] [Music] over to Childs nice effort by berui rally [Music] [Applause] extends nicely done at the Nets Childs and buyers tag team wow what impressive blocking out of the Citadel I love that rally I talked a little bit earlier about Alabama not doing a great job of covering their hitters they turned that around for sure during that [Applause] point now an ace those are so tough on a defense that is definitely one of the most frustrating aspects of being a passer because you start tracking the ball as soon as it comes off the server's hand so you move to where it's going to go as if the ball's totally unobstructed so then all of a sudden when it hits the tape you're like oh but I was doing everything perfect yeah child's in the corner you bet powerful crosscourt swing I talked about this after a swing with dunway earlier but it's really tough to defend a ball that is coming from the right front corner of one side of the court to the right back corner across the other side of the [Music] Court Martin got it over the block Campbell keeps it alive free ball [Applause] Citadel [Applause] Thompson offline what a response here by the Citadel an emotional set three that goes extra long and now the Bulldogs have built a 51 lead early over Alabama timeout utilized by the Crimson Tide we'll be back to Tuscaloosa after this we now return to our interview with the insurance whistleblower I just think everyone should know there's an insurance company out there exposing other companies rates so you can compare them and save H sounds like trouble it's great actually it's called auto quote Explorer from Progressive here look see we show you our direct rates and their rates even if we're not the lowest so whistleblower usually means you're exposing something bad I thought I meant calling attention to something helpful you know like check it out this thing's the best no Labor Day savings are here let's put fall into motion tackle turning colors warm up welcomes and add light to logs fall starts with Labor Day savings at the Home Depot this Trio tonight has been outstanding for the Citadel absolutely Ali Ruffin doing exactly what coach zelot promised us he would she would do 11 kills so far her team looking to her in just about every transition Awkward [Applause] Moment Thompson a little long we might have a challenge and we will indeed have a challenge by Alabama head coach render Reed well Thompson immediately after the call did not go her way initially immediately looked at coach Reed and said let's challenge it no hesitation by coach Reed it is clear that is what Thompson was going for was aiming for on that swing hoping to catch just the fingertips um of the Citadel block that's something intentional that attackers do it's called going high hands meaning that as you swing on the ball you're intentionally trying to swing really high make sure it's not making contact low on the palms of the blocker's hands but maybe it just touches their fingertips gets just the edge of the block and goes out of bounds it's it's really difficult to do it's something players train constantly constantly trying to get good at being in the air and both keeping their eye on the ball and seeing the Block in front of them and the higher higher level volleyball you get the more you'll see you saw some of this in in the Olympics if you were paying attention blockers will intentionally go up and when they're anticipating that a hitter is going to try to swing High hands on their Block they'll drop their hand at the last second and we saw a couple blockers successfully fake out their opponent's hitter that they've been tracking and reading in the middle of a game in the middle of a point seems like that's easier said than done absolutely easier than done and something I would leave to the pros but it just what's something that's so cool about the sport is no matter what level you're at there are women and men out there constantly pushing the game to the next Lev level constantly trying to find new ways to score points improve the game make it more difficult to play so this is a pretty lengthy review our longest review again what's different 12 Hawkeye cameras there are six pile line cameras and after the review the call stance points awarded to the Citadel you know one of the first things I always look at when a challenge is called especially if it's a touch challenge as I look to the players who it is being called against and those Citadel blockers turned around and said there's no way we touch that ball so I'm not shocked that that is how that point [Applause] [Music] [Applause] went [Applause] Thompson Martin tosses it across here comes kefir setting up AG from the back row on the outside keeper to Campbell count it beautiful swing by Campbell getting behind Center C Kefir in [Music] transition and hitting that crosscourt deep Corner shot that's so difficult to defend [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] child just kind of TAPS it across and it works for looks like a little bit of a Miss set but sometimes those little M hits Miss hops are the things that score the points five-point lead for the Bulldogs AG going right at Hogan back to AG it was close but just off the Mark we might have another review here you know I do think that that ball landed in the court however I think that if coach Reed grabs this challenge card and gets a successful challenge I do think Alabama had four contacts earlier in the point and this will still end up being Point ctive well it took a minute but go re finally is issuing a review here so this previous swing will be looked at not I'm not sure what the protocol here is here I'm not sure if they'll look to see if both it was a four contact point and also to see if the ball landed in at the end or if they'll just look at one and then address the other but right now the two things that we can kind of be looking at is to see if that attack that just happened a couple seconds ago in the replay went in the net and that Alabama recovered it at the net and then if this attack right here from Sophie a lands in Bounds at the end of the Bulldogs court that ball definitely looks to have landed in which is an Alabama point so now Co is going back to challenge the to look to see if there were four contacts in the middle of that rally on the swing prior I don't think I've ever seen back-to- back challenges on two things essentially on the same rally it does not surprise me that he went to grab the challenge card it does a little bit surprise me that coach Reed went to grab her challenge card in the first place knowing he would probably do this yeah um but we'll see I from where I'm sitting it did look like four contacts to me that can be such a difficult call to make where the officials are standing on either end of the net it can be hard to see oh did that make any touch any part of the blocker's hand or didn't purely get the net so that's what they'll be looking at now yeah so to reset Alabama's Challenge and review that was successful the for this time period it's a point for Alabama now what they are checking out here for the Citadel which you alluded to was this touch four times so look to see does this fall okay we know that ball landed over and in so what we're going to want to see is Sophie AG's swing right before that swing that's what's being challenged right now at this point so I believe it's this swing right here look to see okay it's tough to see from that angle it does look like that probably just hit the net but but it is I am bringing the bias of I thought it was in the net when I watched live during the point just a fascinating double review essentially and again new review system we are getting a steady diet in this new review system today absolutely this is though a good opportunity for both coaches to be able to talk to their team I have to say about The Citadel they look relaxed they look confident they look like they're having fun and that is an unsuccessful Challenge from coach zenock so successful challenge by coach Reed unsuccessful by coach zenock the point stands and Franchesca bruchi will go back to serve also we do need to mention that all of the cameras they're called Hawkeye cameras they have a higher frames per second rate than what you're watching all the broadcast so the pitcher is just going to be way more clear right than what you see on the broadcast that's [Music] [Applause] right four-point lead for the Citadel Martin here's a long pass to a and it's in boy that was close it bounced not once but twice on the top of the tape well what happened there she swung made contact with that little middle blocker's left hand for the Citadel and then it rolled out of bounds across the net 15 kills for AG that is a match [Music] [Applause] best Martin with a nice response how about the effort though lates there for Alabama that's the Freshman Brown you were touching earlier timeouts just the energy that the Freshman Brown brings on the backline I think she's one of the most fun players to watch on the court right now just for how excited she gets for her teammates I think as a defensive specialist there's not often that you get to do the thing that gets a ton of cheering the DS's are not the ones who are making the crazy swings winning the crazy points so it's fun to see someone who can go back there play Scrappy defense and get so hype when their hitter and their teammate gets a point dway back on the flo for Alabama this is key for [Applause] [Music] [Applause] serving here's AG off the right hand of Jaylen elur that was a beautiful dig by Francesca berui that gave C kefir the opportunity to run her offense another diving effort from the opposing labero these girls are just throwing their bodies all over the [Applause] court and Ruffin picks up kill number 14 and night a team high for the Citadel [Applause] the lead is three for the Bulldogs elur serving she's got 19 digs tonight that's a match [Applause] High AG dumped over there's another dig by berui and it results in a point for Alabama true freshman coming in and doing such a great job with her opportunity Ellery Reese going up there getting the block and if you're at home wondering why was it legal for her to touch the ball on the Block and then go up and touch the ball again a touch on the Block does not count it doesn't count as a personal touch and it doesn't count as one of the three touches allowed before sending the ball back across the [Applause] net service here number eight tonight on Alabama a bit of an untimely one as Alabama's trying to build momentum here in this fourth [Applause] set keeper a long pass to Thompson from the back row Morton got it over the block dug out by Keir here's Thompson again and P's Thompson picks up kill number nine even on those out of system sets Thompson goes up there and swings heavy that time strong enough to overpower The Citadel [Applause] [Music] block there's the Freshman Rees with the ace second time tonight we've seen that for a player who checked in so late into this match Ellery Reese has a very impressive statline right now I believe that's her she's had a dig she's got an ace she's got kills blocks on the outside child gets denied at the Nets that is a huge moment after how successful child's has been and really had her way offensively tonight that could be a huge momentum shift moment for the tide it's a three-oh run for Alabama Childs misses and Bama on a 40 run goes up 11 to 10 a little bit of a weaker start than I'm sure they would have liked but Alabama has come back very very strong here in this fourth set after being down at 1.8 to2 here's ruffen ruin continues to dominate [Music] tonight that was a great swing no surprise it's Ruffin who turns it around for her team ends the Alabama little streak there now she heads back to the service line I thought it was fascinating when Bulldog head coach Dave zillan told us when Ruffin showed up on campus she didn't say a word at all and now she's one of the most vocal leaders for the Citadel that was one of the main things he talked about was her leadership development and how quiet she was freshman year and how loud her play spoke for her but still even as a player with so much impact on the sport she stayed really quiet but over the last four years she's opened up and become a really vocal leader for the Bulldogs one-point Advantage for the Crimson tie Childs trying to change that she cannot it's Thompson and Campbell at the Nets that was a great job by Thompson seeing the child's was going for the tip it's easy as a blocker to get excited to throw that ball down and accidentally make contact with the net on your way down Thompson did a great job of putting the ball on the floor but staying out of the net it's now four blocks for Alabama they were down by as much as five at one point in this set here's Thompson gets it right back from the back row AG somehow gets over for the Citadel kefir other side to Campbell is it in it's not that is a huge point for the [Music] Citadel that was a great rally we're seeing some great volleyball here in Foster Auditorium tonight both teams teams hustling all out we're not seeing very many mindless errors or unforced errors every eror that we've seen recently has been what I would call a smart error like that attack error by Campbell I think she was doing exactly what she needed to do with that swing and so I don't think it's an error that coach Reed would ever be upset about you live with that one exactly this is the level of play and the level of competition that these teams come to this tournament for there's a service error and a CLE one that puts Alabama back in front tell you what though rager is a weapon when she's back there serving for the Citadel she is definitely she's had her Aces and she's had her error she is the definition of a highrisk high reward server and Coach Z's okay with that go back there score your points and that's what he told us he does not have a problem if you commit an error go 100% and giving everything you got absolutely I think that speaks to why he takes what he calls a seated approach to coaching if you look over on the sideline just about 100% of the time he's sitting on the bench giving his players the green light to go execute what they've worked on in practice a with a running start delivers 18 kills for Sophie AI this is coming off when she had a career high 22 kills earlier today beautiful swing by AG down the line keeping the tide in [Music] front fori how about the effort by Ru going to keep it alive Here Comes Alabama Slide Attack works fice the Freshman I love seeing that moment Reese with a beautiful swing and her teammates getting so excited for her coach Reed talked a lot about how much this team really has bonded in how much they love each other and how much that makes coaching so enjoyable for her Ruffin plays it across kefir to AG Ruffin with a dig approaching a double double Martin down the line quick Hands by retti [Music] Hogan trying to set up Martin miscommunication Alabama AG did a nice job to get to it initially but nobody was able to communicate after that that's a big point for the Citadel when the setter is in the front row and she has to make the quick transition from blocking to being ready to make the second contact that can be really tough and that was a time when it looks like kefir just got caught up in the block here's a off of Martin ruffing keeps it alive flipped over by elard here comes Alabama keeper back to the Freshman Rees does it again Ellery Rees is just on fire tonight so impressive to see a player who's been cheering on her teammates watching her teammates all morning come out and perform shows how she mentally was able to stay locked into the game focused ready to go very impressed with how she's handled this competition that's out so the Citadel serving trailing by a point this has been a very back and forth set a lot of trading points after set three went the distance Alabama took it 2725 free ball for the Bulldogs Hogan setting up Ruffin kefir over to AG ruffing by the way she now has a double double in the corner points Citadel tied at 17 I like that decision to go with the back row attacker in the middle of that rally that was a great shot by McKenzie Martin just getting that ball right off the fingertips to the Alabama block and still even landing at the Deep corner of the Alabama Court so timeout called on the floor so Ally Ruffin she had a double double earlier today she's got a double double tonight 13 kills 14 digs 53 double doubles in her career now just ridiculous so impressive a lot of times and I won't name names but a lot of times I've played with front row players really strong attackers who love to swing away on the ball and think and use that as an excuse to not really play defense they know how effective they are offensively that they kind of take defense off to relax that is not at all what I see from Ali Ruffin she is absolutely locked into to every aspect of the game she has played great defense had some beautiful digs in the back row for her team she looks just as excited when one of her teammates gets a kill as when she gets a kill and she is just really willing to hustle for her team they have they ask a lot of her and she delivers and again just such a fantastic story she's from Greenville North Carolina has had a decorated career playing at the Citadel and is definitely in the new age with a transfer portal she has been approached by different coaches around the country different programs but she wants to stay at the Citadel and bring the Bulldogs a championship I think there's something special about a player sticking with the school they committed to it speaks to how much she really enjoys not just her coach but also her teammates tied at 17 coming out of the timeout coming out of that timeout a huge play on the outside for for Sophie AG she'll go back to serve now but AG in the front row has just been dominant really showing off that fearlessness and that mental toughness to keep swinging no matter how the match is going for her she's got 19 impressive kills leading the tide on that stat line here's ruin the full head of steam and she gets the kill everybody was kind of waiting to see where that ball was going to land and it drops out of bounds that looked like it was no more than a few inches out of bounds which is an improvement for the Alabama block but it looks like they're still really working on being fully set loaded and stopped before the hitter makes contact with the ball key shock back on the floor for Alabama coming in for kefir here's keyock setting up the Freshman Reese off the hands of keyock and the Citadel retakes the lead 1918 we've seen a few lead swaps in this match both teams just playing really really competitive volleyball you couldn't really ask for more out of a preseason matchup [Applause] [Music] on the outside the Ruffin free ball Alabama can they deliver Thompson you better believe she can Paris Thompson double digit kills for the second time today beautiful swing by Thompson and looks like a s of aell Defender tried to get an arm on it but it just bounced right off [Music] look at that set for eight ties two lead changes remarkable fine volleyball to watch Collision for the Citadel resulting in a point for Alabama that was a messy point right there one that I'm sure coach zock is not pleased with I think the Citadel team has looked really poised throughout the match that point not so much but intense moments all through throughout today and all throughout this match for the most part they've looked to so it doesn't shock me that he tries to call a timeout give this team a moment to breathe have a conversation and prepare to go back out there yeah just haven't seen a moment like that today at all or just there's no communication and two teammates collide with each other so timeout taken here for the Citadel what do you think will be important down the stretch here in the for set I really think it's going to be important that the hitters continue to make smart decisions and that means continuing to swing when they have room for it what you never want to see is the attackers start to lighten up because they think oh we're getting near the end of the game I can't make a mistake right here I need to make sure I keep this ball in that's actually that mindset leads to more errors than when an attacker has confidence and it's like I'm going to go up and swing I'm going to find a way to put this ball down so still smart decisions if the set's not there that's a different story make the off speed shot put do something crafty to keep the point alive but I think it's going to be a testament of both how smart volleyball IQ decisions these attackers can make but also how much can these teams keep up their ball control I think both teams have really really impressive defensive and server stats so far their offenses have been to been able to stay pretty in system so far today so how well they're able to pass and defend this ball it's really I think both of those things both of these team teams have already played five sets today will they do it twice will Alabama be able to hold on and improve to two and0 this season that serve well Off the Mark remember that's a true freshman tied at 20 first to five win by two all these players are familiar with this situation I'm sure they practice it all the time [Music] St away free ball Alabama keyock to Campbell and it was touched by Alabama huge point for the Citadel fire is absolutely fired up to get that block for her team shutting down Chase Campbell who's really had her way for most of the [Applause] evening keyock over to Thompson Ruffin with another dig she's up to 15 digs tonight by the way Topson again Ruffin two fantastic digs in a row here she is from the back row Thompson third time was it the charm it is tied at 21 that was a great rally we saw some defense out of Ali russin keeping the point alive for the Citadel but Paris Thompson finds a way to finish it for the [Applause] [Music] tide nicely done in the middle oh but the points going to go to Alabama here coach zock wanting to grab his challenge card for sure looks convinced the middle blocker Chase Campbell made contact with that ball before it flew out of bounds he doesn't grab it though I used to have a coach Graham who would sometimes intentionally as he was the referee during practice make bad calls to see how we as a team could mentally respond because that can be one of the most frustrating things is when you disagree with the referee's call and intense important [Music] play but it looks like Citadel bounced back from that it's tied again at 22 and the Top Spin servers riging jerk checks back into the service line you can see the Alabama passers communicating to each other this is Top Spin she's got three Aces [Music] tonight Thompson in the corner it's in what a shot by Paris Thompson that was a great job by Thompson everyone in the the gym knew where that ball was going because the pass was not perfect and Thompson still went up and found open court that's the hardest time to make a good swing when the other team's block has had plenty of time to set up to track your movement read where you're headed round serving here's child and Campell with a huge block Match Point Alabama you can feel the energy in the room AB everyone is absolutely fired up about that block that was a great setup by Sophie AG to give Alabama set and match [Applause] point Hogan to Martin was it touched it was it's a veteran making a play for the Bulldogs McKenzie Martin The Citadel just refusing to go away that was a smart play by Martin going off the hands of the Alabama block it is still match point for Alabama The Citadel just one point behind this win by two child serving keyock setting up Campbell Martin Kar for a for the win Al Victorious and improves to 2 and0 to kick off the [Applause] season what an exciting match you cannot ask for anything more out of a pre-season matchup both teams had really long five set matches this morning and still brought the energy in all four sets tonight Alabama finishing up on top and Alabama undefeated in the Crimson Tide Invitational under coach Reed now eight and0 we step aside and be back to [Applause] Tuscaloosa for for okay video book that offer [Music] for I'm direct to home me me [Music] over