MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For only the third time in school history, the University of West Alabama volleyball team starts the season 4-0 with the squad's two victories on the final day of the Christian Brothers Tournament in Memphis, Tenn.
Head Coach Tabitha Turner's group powered past American International College and Arkansas-Monticello without giving up a single set, winning each match, 3-0, and giving the program its best start since the 2007 season.
“I thought we played with a lot of energy throughout the weekend,” Turner stated. “We did things that I haven't seen in practice, and I was very pleased with our effort and intensity. We have a few things to work on as always, but I am excited and looking forward to the week ahead.”
The day started with an early-morning matchup with American International. Perhaps the toughest set of the day came in the second set of the 9 a.m. contest. After taking the first by a score of 25-21, UWA found itself down eight points midway through the second. The Tigers battled back, however, to overcome the deficit and take the second game, 32-30.
On the back of senior
Angela Sanders' 18 kills and senior
Alexis McHale's 41 assists, the Tigers went on to win the match, 3-0, after taking the third set, 25-18.
In the second match of the day, the Tigers had three players with a hitting percentage over .400, as the Red and White overpowered Arkansas-Monticello, 3-0. UWA took the first two games handedly, ousting UAM 25-11 and 25-15. With a stiff test in the third set, the Tigers would hang on to the match and pick up a tight 25-23 third-set win to finish the weekend at 4-0.
The UWA volleyball team finished the season opening tournament winning 12 of the 13 sets that it played in the two-day event. The last UWA squad to start a season 4-0 was the 2007 team that won 18 in a row to start the year.
The Tigers will return to campus Tuesday as the team plays host to Loyola (La.) at 7 p.m. in Pruitt Hall.
Fans can follow the UWA volleyball team on Twitter @UWA_Volleyball or by logging on to uwaathletics.com.
