TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Vanderbilt volleyball graduate student Sydney Conley produced a season-high eight kills, while hitting at a .500 clip, on Friday night at Foster Auditorium.
The Commodores (6-17, 2-12 SEC) dropped a 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 25-21) decision to Alabama (12-12, 4-10 SEC) in Tuscaloosa.
Vandy saw two players, Jackie Moore and Maya Witherspoon, reach double-digit kills. Moore tallied a team-high 13 kills, while Witherspoon registered 11, a season high. Freshman Kayla Dunlap led the Dores on defense with five of the team’s eight blocks. Reese Animashaun and Elli Kinney each recorded nine digs.
For the Crimson Tide, Victoria Barrett totaled 17 kills with a season-high .452 hitting efficiency. Hannah Parant contributed to all aspects of the match, recording 39 assists, seven kills, two aces, five digs and three blocks. Alabama’s defensive efforts were led by Trinity Stanger and Barrett with nine digs apiece and Ashby Daniel, who registered five blocks.
Despite dropping the first set, 25-19, the Commodore offense came alive in the second set, opening with four unanswered points. Mia Soerensen recorded five of her seven kills, as well as a pair of service aces, in set 2. Vanderbilt hit .353 in the second set, which it won by a score of 25-22.
Alabama responded with a 25-21 win in set 3, holding the Dores to a .148 hitting percentage.
With the match on the line, Vanderbilt charged out to a 10-4 lead in set 4, at one point scoring six points in a row. After point 10, the Crimson Tide began to cut into the Dores’ advantage, finally taking a 19-18 lead after several back-and-forth points. Alabama was able to hold off Vandy’s attempts to force a fifth set and won set 4, 25-21, and the match, 3-1.
The Commodores will close out their regular season on Sunday when they play Mississippi State at the Newell-Grissom Building in Starkville, Mississippi. First serve is slated for 2 p.m. and will air on the SEC Network.
