LIVINGSTON, Ala. - After a week off, the University of West Alabama Volleyball team is set to return to action this weekend when they host the Union Bulldogs on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and the Christian Brothers Buccaneers on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
West Alabama (2-16, 0-8 GSC) enters in search of their first conference win while Union (4-12, 2-5 GSC) comes in after back-to-back losses to Alabama Huntsville and Montevallo last week. For Christian Brothers (5-12, 1-6 GSC), they enter after being on the receiving end of a pair of sweeps at the hands of the Chargers and Falcons.
Taylor Lamontagne and Jaida Alvin lead a UWA offense that continues to steadily improve as the year goes along. Lamontagne has put together a solid freshman campaign as the setter carries 288 assists into the weekend, with 35 of those coming three matches ago in the Tigers' four-set win against Stillman. While her role is to run the offense, the freshman has shown more offensive aggression as of late, particularly with her 'setter dumps', resulting in seven kills in the past four matches. Lamontagne's service game has also been a game changer as she leads the team with 19 service aces, recording eight in the last four contests.
Alvin is a staple in the lineup for head coach John Schmidt. As a sophomore, Alvin possesses one of the best swings in the conference and has put down a team-high 118 kills as a result. The Outside Hitter's swing is pure, but she struggles with her efficiency from time to time, turning in a hitting percentage of .047.
While Lamontagne and Alvin have been stellar this season, KB Kinney and Skylar Fick have also emerged as legitimate offensive options as West Alabama looks to further progress their offense this weekend against the Bulldogs and Bucs.
After a 6-25 season in 2023, Union continues to struggle in 2024, bringing four wins into the weekend. The Bulldogs have been solid offensively, registering 682 kills on a .171 hitting percentage, but haven't been able to contain the firepower coming back from the other side of the net. 16 matches into their season, Union has allowed 759 kills on a .244 hitting percentage, ranking last in the league. Reese Owens is the leader of Union's team as the senior leads the Bulldogs in kills with 176, digs with 195, and service aces with 32. Owens currently stands as one of the best players in the conference as her service aces rank third in the GSC while her kills rank seventh and digs rank ninth.
Similar to UWA, Christian Brothers has struggled to produce points thus far in the season. Coming into the weekend, the Bucs have recorded 671 kills on a .139 hitting percentage which ranks 11th in the GSC. Ella Schumacher and Calah Jackson are the best players on CBU's roster as the duo has combined for 341 kills this year, with Schumacher holding the team lead with 172. Schumacher is making a strong case for the conference's Freshman of the Year award as the Outside Hitter has turned in double digit kills in eight matches and 20 plus kills in two of those.
First serve for Friday's matchup against Union is set for 6:00 p.m. while Saturday's contest against Christian Brothers is slated for 2:00 p.m.
