The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Defending Champions Set For Friday Night Showdown
11/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 1, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Just two weekends of Conference USA play remain for the UAB volleyball team, which heads west to take on Tulsa and SMU this weekend for the final road trip of its C-USA slate. Friday night, the Blazers will take on Tulsa at 7:00 p.m. and then on Sunday, the team plays at SMU at 1:00 p.m.
Another week of Conference USA play has passed and there is still little separation atop the league standings. UAB (19-7, 9-3 C-USA) enters this weekend in a three-way tie for third place with Tulsa (21-6, 9-3 C-USA) and Memphis (20-9, 9-3 C-USA).
Friday night's match up between UAB and Tulsa will be a showdown of the 2006 Conference USA regular season and tournament champions. Tulsa won the regular season crown, while UAB earned the tournament title and the right to represent Conference USA in the NCAA Tournament.
The weekend trip will be UAB's final C-USA road weekend of the season, however the Blazers will have one road match remaining, that being a trip to national-power Middle Tennessee on Nov. 23.
UAB went 2-0 last weekend while playing without All-American outside hitter Ivana Bozic, who has been sidelined for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. Taking on the offensive load for the Blazers in Bozic's absence was senior Fernanda Domingos who hit .800 with 12 kills at UCF last Friday and then landed 22 kills against Southern Miss on Sunday.
Domingos is averaging 3.18 kills per game this season, while junior Casey Dent is averaging 2.79 kills per game and can be expected to have more swings with Bozic out of the lineup.
Sophomore Andrea Lalic is coming off a career-high 14 kills at Southern Miss. Lalic is averaging 1.91 kills per game for the year.
Senior Brianna Galvin needs just eight digs this weekend to move up to second place all-time at UAB in career digs. The libero currently has 1,525 digs for her career and is 126 away from becoming the school's all-time career leader.
Junior Nevena Stefanov has spread the ball around nicely in recent matches. At Southern Miss last Sunday, five Blazers finished in double-figures in kills. Stefanov ranks third in Conference USA with 12.32 assists per game.
Junior Lilly Domingos has climbed her way up to fourth in C-USA in blocks per game at 1.12 to aid the Blazers' defensive effort.
Tulsa enters Friday's match fresh off a 3-1 loss to Tulane on Sunday. The Golden Hurricane is led by its setter, Julia Silva, who averages 10.76 assists, 2.24 kills and 3.32 digs per game.
Fabiola Nepomuceno leads the team in kills with a 4.82 per game average.
Tulsa leads the all-time series with UAB, 2-1, after the Blazers beat the Golden Hurricane, 3-1 (30-24, 27-30, 30-24, 30-23), in the semifinals of the 2006 Conference USA Tournament.
UAB senior Shaniquwa Cooper led the Blazers in that match, setting the C-USA Tournament record for single-match total blocks and block assists with 15. Silva had 48 assists, 11 digs and eight kills to lead Tulsa.
SMU enters the weekend with a record of 15-11 (5-7 C-USA) after beating UTEP, 3-2, last Sunday. The Mustangs will take on Memphis on Friday before welcoming the Blazers on Sunday.
The Mustangs are led by Natalie Peters and her 3.37 kills and 0.91 blocks per game.
Candice Davis leads SMU's defensive effort as she is averaging a league-best 5.45 digs per game.
SMU leads the all-time series with UAB, 3-0, after shutting out the Blazers, 3-0 (30-21, 30-20, 31-29) inside Bartow Arena last season. Rachel Giubilato had 10 kills and nine digs for the Mustangs in that match, while Bozic led UAB with 18 kills.
