Tide volleyball team ends season with loss to Clemson at NCAA Tournament

CLEMSON, S.C. | The University of Alabama volleyball team fell to 20th-ranked Clemson in a four-game match Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Alabama ends the season 15-15 overall and is 0-3 in the postseason.

“I think we were a lot better team today than when we competed two weeks ago,” Alabama coach Judy Green said. “I think our kids gave an outstanding effort. They tried to do what we asked them to do.

“We didn’t execute well from a serving and blocking standpoint tonight. I think had we not made so many serving errors in the first game it would have given us a boost of confidence. Once we settled down and stopped making so many serving errors, it helped us win the third game and put us in contention to win the fourth.”

Despite the loss, Alabama posted more kills, assists and blocks than Clemson and had a respectable 72 digs. Sophomore Brooks Webster led all players with 19 kills, while junior Lindsey Buteyn was one kill shy of her career high with 14. Junior Amy Pauly posted a match-high 24 digs and seniors Bridget Fuentez and Megan Hudson added 15 and 14 digs, respectively.

The loss marked the end of the road for four seniors who contributed more to the Alabama volleyball program than any other senior class. Bridget Fuentez, Crystal Hudson, Megan Hudson and Brigitte Slack end their careers at the Capstone it their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

“The seniors were asked to step up tonight,” Green said. “We asked them to lead us to a different level and I thought they gave a great effort tonight. Their hearts are certainly going to be at the University of Alabama for a long time in what they have accomplished.”