Auburn (7-1), UAB (2-7), South Alabama (7-2) and Samford (4-5) volleyball will battle it out amongst each other in the Alabama Showdown. The four teams will face off in Mobile, Alabama, Sept. 13 through Sept. 16.
The Tigers are coming off two wins and a loss from the Tiger Invitational. They beat Charleston Southern 3-1 and Mercer 3-0, however, they fell short to Middle Tennessee 3-1. The Tigers have upheld a .308 hitting percentage throughout the season and the highest out of the four teams.
Sophomore pin-hitter, Madison Scheer, currently has 91 kills. Another key player for the Tigers is sophomore, Sarah Morton, with 91 digs. Bel Zimmerman, a sophomore pin-hitter, currently leads the team with eight aces.
UAB is staying close to home again after playing at a home tournament this past weekend. It In the Blazer Classic, the Blazers lost to Tarleton State, Texas A&M and Alabama, going winless in the invitational. Although they currently face a .195 hitting percentage, they have some talented players to watch for.
Freshman, Mia Reese, has recorded 120 kills for the Blazers. Sophomore, Kelsey Smith, has a total of 13 aces and senior, Lidya Canturk has 325 assists on the season. Lastly, junior Anna Burkhardt leads the Blazers with 179 digs.
The South Alabama Jaguars currently have a .252 hitting percentage and have roughly 300 more kills than Auburn and UAB. They just returned from the FAMU Tournament with a 1-2 record, losing to both Florida A&M and Georgia Tech, however, they were victorious against Stetson 3-0.
Fifth year, Hannah Maddux, leads the Jaguars in kills with a total of 127 and also aces with 16. Kailey Keeble, a senior for South Alabama, accounts for 356 of the 405 assists for the season. Another standout athlete for the Jaguars is redshirt junior, Paige Lynn, who currently has 139 digs.
Coming off a 1-2 record in the Bulldog Invitational, the Samford Bulldogs are out for revenge and looking for a win. They lost to both Army 3-1 and Georgia 3-0. Although, they managed to sweep Jacksonville 3-0 on Sept. 7.
The Bulldogs currently have a .230 hitting percentage and a few athletes that have been highlighted. Junior, Gracie Lynn Butler, leads the team in kills with 148 and also leads in aces with 15. A standout freshman, Lexi Thatcher, accounts for 310 assists on the season, thus far. Lastly, Kate Morgan, a junior for the Bulldogs, leads the team with 117 digs.
The Tigers will play South Alabama in Mobile on Sept. 14 on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. CST. They will then face off against UAB in Mobile on Sept. 15 at 2:30 p.m. CST. They will wrap up the tournament by playing Samford in Mobile on Sept. 16 at noon CST.
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Caroline Roberts is a freshman from Athens, Alabama, majoring in sports production and broadcasting. She joined The Plainsman in Fall 2023.
