LIVINGSTON, Ala.  – Entering the final week of pre-season practices, West Alabama head coach Nathan Baker put his volleyball Tigers through an intra-squad scrimmage on Saturday afternoon at Pruitt Hall.

The White squad topped the Red squad 3-1 in four tightly contested sets (25-22, 25-20, 22-25, 25-21).  The White squad was led by junior Jessica Crook, who turned in 11 kills along with four block assists and one solo block.  Junior Brittany Cousin finished with six kills.  Pre-season All Gulf South Conference selection, Ana Gabriela Pedrosa tallied seven service aces.  Senior Teresa Clements and freshman Erica Shropshire posted nine kills each for the Red squad.  Clements finished with a match-high five block assists.  Senior All-GSC selection Allison Nail carded six kills in the affair.

“We have improved this past week in all areas of the game,” said Baker.  “I am really proud of our defense.  We have a lot of hustle and that is one thing that I have never had to worry about is our effort on the court.”

With the 2008 campaign set to open on Friday, Aug. 29, at the University of West Florida-hosted Comfort Inn-vitational, Baker will spend time this week solidifying the line up and setting the rotations for the opening weekend.  The Tigers will open the two-day, four-match weekend against North Carolina Pembroke at 11:30 a.m. on Friday and close out the opening day against GSC opponent Ouachita Baptist at 7 p.m.  UWA will face Florida Tech and Saint Joseph’s College (Ind.) on Saturday, Aug. 30.

UWA will open the nine-match home season with Gulf South Conference foe Arkansas at Monticello on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. on the UWA campus.