The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Southeastern Louisiana
UAB Sweeps SE Louisiana To Capture Tournament Title
9/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 10, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB volleyball team wasted no time extending its win streak to eight matches with a dominant, three-game sweep of Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday evening in Bartow Arena. The match marked the final contest of the UAB Tutwiler Invitational in which the Blazers went 4-0 to take home the tournament crown. UAB is now 8-0 on the season while the Lady Lions fall to 3-4.
UAB freshman Aleksandra Vujovic hit a match-best .476 with 10 kills and came up just one dig shy of her third straight double-double. Fellow freshman Ivana Bozic led the Blazer attack with 15 kills to go along with three service aces. Bozic finished the tournament with 59 kills in four matches. Keri Hamblin notched a team-high 15 kills in a losing effort for Southeastern Louisiana.
"We played well in all four of these matches and we feel like we passed our first exam," said UAB co-interim head coach Nikola Petrovic. "Our next test is at Eastern Kentucky next weekend, then our conference schedule begins in two weeks, so we'll be working hard to get ready."
UAB hit .390 as a team in the opening frame, jumping out to a 1-0 lead with a 30-20 victory. Bozic led all players with six kills and Shaniquwa Cooper added two blocks.
The Lady Lions built a three-point lead halfway through the second game, but a 4-0 UAB run, capped off by a pair of duo blocks from Cooper and Isabel Oquendo gave the Blazers an 18-17 lead. UAB continued to score points, going on an another 8-0 run to finish out the game, capped off by a Bozic service ace on game point.
SE Louisiana hung around in the early going of game three, but the Blazers scored 11 of 12 points during one stretch to take a commanding, 26-14 lead. After two Bozic kills and one service ace, Vujovic finished off the Lady Lions with her final kill of the evening on one of Nevena Stefanov's 37 assists.
The Blazers return to action next weekend when they travel to Richmond, Ky. for the Eastern Kentucky Tournament. UAB will take on UNC-Greensboro at 5 p.m. on Friday, then will face host Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at 5 p.m.
2005 UAB Tutwiler Invitational Results
Friday, Sept. 9
Georgia Southern def. Louisiana-Monroe, 3-1
UAB def. Georgia Southern, 3-0
Tennessee State def. Southeastern Louisiana- 3-1
UAB def. Louisiana-Monroe, 3-2
Saturday, Sept. 10
Georgia Southern def. Southeastern Louisiana, 3-1
UAB def. Tennessee State, 3-1
Tennessee State def. Louisiana-Monroe, 3-0
UAB def. Southeastern Louisiana, 3-0
