The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazer Volleyball Home For Two More This Weekend
10/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 30, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB volleyball team wraps up a six-match homestand this weekend with a pair of Conference USA matches against East Carolina and Marshall.
The Blazers host the Pirates for Senior Night on Friday at 7 p.m., and the Thundering Herd visits Bartow Arena for a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday.
UAB enters the weekend looking to continue its school-record 14-match winning streak. The Blazers (20-3, 10-1 C-USA) have lost only one time in their past 21 contests.
Ivana Bozic leads UAB in kills with 3.25 per set and digs with 3.31 per set. Setter Nevena Stefanov ranks second in Conference USA with 10.88 assists per set, while teammate Casey Dent ranks 16th nationally in attack percentage.
UAB has won 10 consecutive conference matches, dating back to victories over East Carolina and Marshall on the weekend of Sept. 26-28. The Blazers earned hard-fought, 3-2 wins on the road against both teams, defeating the Pirates 19-17 in the fifth set and the Thundering Herd 18-16 in the final frame.
Friday's contest marks the 14th all-time meeting between UAB and East Carolina. The Blazers own an 8-5 lead in the series, including victories in the past four meetings.
The Pirates snapped a 10-match losing streak Sunday with a 3-2 victory over SMU. The win improved East Carolina to 12-14 overall and 2-9 in league play. Stephanie Turner leads the Pirate offense with 2.21 kills per set, while Trish Monroe owns a 4.23 digs-per-set average defensively.
In Sunday's contest, UAB faces a Marshall team that enters the weekend at 10-11 overall and 3-8 in conference matches. The Thundering Herd, riding a three-match losing streak, will play Friday at Memphis before traveling to Birmingham. Offensively, Marshall's Jalicia Ross leads Conference USA with a .438 attack percentage.
UAB and Marshall have met just seven times with the Thundering Herd holding a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series. The teams split two meetings in 2007 before the Blazers won the matchup earlier this year.
In conjunction with the Canned Food Drive Competition organized by the UAB Leadership and Service Council for the month of November, fans will receive free admission to Sunday's Marshall match by bringing a canned food item.
