Volleyball Opens SEC Play Wednesday at 12th-Ranked Florida

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama volleyball opens Southeastern Conference play this week, making a midweek trip to Gainesville, Fla., to face the 12th-ranked Florida Gators on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. CT.

This Week: at #12 Florida

• Wednesday, Sept. 21 – 6 p.m. CT
• Gainesville, Fla. – Stephen C. O’Connell Center

Scouting Alabama

• Alabama enters Southeastern Conference play this week with a 6-6 record after going 1-2 at last weekend’s Horned Frog Invitational
• Wednesday’s match at Florida marks the end of a 10-match road streak for the Crimson Tide, returning home this weekend for the first time since week one
• The Gators are the first ranked opponent for Alabama so far this season, coming in at No. 12 in this week’s AVCA rankings
• The Tide returns 14 players from last year’s squad, including seniors Taylor Drapp, Emily Janek, Dru Kuck, Katie Shook and Alyiah Wells and fifth-year senior Abby Marjama
• Newcomers this year include freshman Micah Gryniewicz, an AVCA All-Region honoree from Chandler, Ariz., and sophomore Maddy McCormick, who played at Colorado State last season

Last Time Out: Horned Frog Invitational

• Alabama went 1-2 at last weekend’s Horned Frog Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas, falling to Louisiana and TCU before ending the weekend with a convincing sweep over Texas State
• The Crimson Tide hit .396 as a team in the win over the Bobcats, its highest hitting percentage in a match since hitting .405 on Sept. 14, 2019 against Alcorn State
• Kendyl Reaugh and Alyiah Wells were named to the Horned Frog Invitational All-Tournament team, leading Alabama with 36 and 35 kills, respectively
• Brooke Slusser tallied a pair of double-doubles on the weekend, finishing with 26 assists and 10 digs against Louisiana and 44 assists and 12 digs against TCU
• Sophomore transfer Maddy McCormick made her season debut for the Tide, playing in all three matches including a .455 clip with 13 kills in the finale against Texas State

Alabama Wins vs. Ranked Opponents

• Alabama has won eight matches against ranked opponents in program history, last doing so on Sept. 23, 2016 against Texas A&M
• All but one of the eight victories came at home, with the lone ranked victory away from Tuscaloosa coming on Sept. 7, 2007 against then-No. 13 Ohio in South Bend, Ind.
• The win over the Bobcats is also the only out-of-conference ranked victory

Alabama Wins vs….