CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Alabama volleyball opened its weekend at the Chattanooga Classic with a sweep over the tournament host Mocs in front of a record crowd of 2,165 at McKenzie Arena.

Alabama (4-0) won each set over Chattanooga (2-3) by a larger margin, ending with its largest set victory of the season so far at 25-11. Victoria Barrett and Sophie Agee tied for the team lead with 11 kills each while Lily Gervase scored a career-best five aces, nearly half of the Crimson Tide’s 13 service aces as a team. Sophomore Addison Engel and freshman Maggie Kyriakides also made their Alabama debuts in the match.

FROM HEAD COACH RASHINDA REED

“I thought it was good to have a true road test like we faced tonight. We have to practice playing in front of that many people and with that pressure because that’s what the SEC is all about. Chattanooga and their fans did a really nice job of creating a big stage for our match tonight. It’s nice to see our team gelling together. We’re still working through some kinks with it being preseason but it was great to get that win in three sets. We’re very aggressive from the service line, our defense today was stellar but I would like to see us get our offense clicking a little more but those kinds of things just take time and I’m excited to see this team grow.”

NOTES

• Alabama has won three of its four matches this season off a sweep
• Victoria Barrett’s team-leading 11 kills pushes her career total to 1,471 as she closes in on 1,500
• Lily Gervase finished with a career-best five aces
• Sophomore Addison Engel and freshman Maggie Kyriakides both made their Crimson Tide debuts in the match

STAT LEADERS

SET-BY-SET SCORES

• Set 1: Alabama 25, Chattanooga 19
• Set 2: Alabama 25, Chattanooga 17
• Set 3: Alabama 25, Chattanooga 11

UP NEXT: CHATTANOOGA CLASSIC (CHATTANOOGA, TENN.)

• Saturday, Sept. 6 vs. Cincinnati – 2 p.m. CT