Roll Tide. It's not just a football expression in Tuscaloosa anymore. Guess whose volleyball team cracked the national rankings for the first time?
Alabama volleyball is 12-1 heading into SEC play this week and checked into the rankings last week at No. 25, a program first. The lone loss was at the hands of Purdue, one of six unbeaten teams in the nation. The 12 wins include a 3-0 victory over Conference USA power Western Kentucky, a rally in five over Villanova and a weekend sweep of a Southern Miss team that swept the Tide last fall. The Tide stayed at No. 25 when the latest AVCA rankings were released on Monday.
"We actually get everyone's best game because when people play us, they think they're playing Alabama football," said Doris Carter, who has emerged as one of Alabama's top offensive threats after transferring in from South Florida. "It's fun to play here because of that."
You won't find Carter or any of her teammates on the preseason All-SEC team. Alabama was picked to finish 12th in the 13-team league.
Still, success didn't sneak up on this team. If anything, Alabama is behind the schedule coach Ed Allen had in mind when he took over the program in 2011. He took Alabama to the NCAA tournament consecutive years starting in 2013; the Crimson Tide's 26 wins were a single-season school record in 2014.
Expectations were high the next season when Alabama was picked to finish second in the SEC. Then three outside hitters were lost for medical reasons, including Kat Hutson, an AVCA honorable mention All-American in 2014.
"All the injuries were at the outside," he said. "We were really fortunate to pick up Doris to fill that void."
Alabama was actually Carter's dream school -- "It's the epitome of being an athlete," she said. Given a bunch of sweatshirts her sophomore year of high school, she wore the Crimson Tide one frequently, noting, "As soon as that thing came out of the washer, you best believe it was back on my body."
But the Lexington, Kentucky, native didn't consider playing volleyball in Tuscaloosa, opting for South Florida instead, where she finished second among American Athletic Conference freshmen with 2.71 kills per set in 2017. As much as she was drawn to the palm trees, it wasn't the fit for her. Her club coach contacted Allen and arranged a visit to Alabama. Immediately, she felt at home.
"My personality is big; the coaches' personalities are big," she said. "I love it here."
The 5-foot-10 outside hitter complements a cast that includes libero Quincey Gary, who leads the SEC with 4.85 digs per set, fifth-year senior middle blocker Cidavia Hall, already twice named SEC defensive player of the week, and junior outside hitter Ginger Perinar, who leads the team in kills. Freshman Mylana Bryd, an Under Armour All-American from the Houston area, continues to develop as a setter, sharing time with sophomore Meghan Neelon. Sophomore Kaylee Thomas has become an important cog defensively alongside leading blocker Hayley McSparin.
"We're clicking," Carter said. "We're all super competitive. Everything is competitive from small things to big things -- grades to simple drills on the court. It's hard to have fun in college volleyball, but when you're around each other and you pick each other up, it's a whole different game. It brings a whole different energy to the court."
Allen credits football for helping him recruit in hotbed areas, including Texas, California and the Midwest. "It's not hard to get kids to make unofficial visits," he said. "If nothing else, Dad wants to see a football game."
With SEC play beginning at Missouri on Wednesday, the focus turns to winning at least 10 more matches to put the Crimson Tide in position to advance to the NCAA tournament.
"I feel like that's a number that is easily attainable," Allen said.
As for the ranking, that's been a bragging point for this team around campus. Carter regards it as more motivation than celebration, but she was pretty juiced when classmates and professors recognized the strides the team has made.
"Everybody knows we're a football school," she said. "As soon as we got ranked, we walked around and said, 'We're a volleyball school now.' That's what we're striving for."
Elsewhere in college volleyball:
• Lexi Sun made her debut for Nebraska (9-1) on Friday against New Mexico. The sophomore, who transferred from Texas, finished with 13 kills, five digs, two blocks and one ace in the 3-1 win, which doubled as coach John's Cook's 700th career victory.
• Dayton (9-4) drew a program-record 2,285 fans and then upset Ohio State on Saturday night for the first time since 1980.
• The remaining unbeaten teams are BYU, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Pitt and Portland.