The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Nebraska
UAB Falls To Nebraska, 3-0
12/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dec. 6, 2008
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LINCOLN, Neb. -- The UAB volleyball team's postseason run came to an end Saturday with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-12) loss to No. 4 overall seed Nebraska in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Volleyball Championship.
Ivana Bozic finished with 10 kills to lead the Blazers' offensive attack, but it was not enough to overcome a powerful Nebraska team. The Huskers posted a .467 team hitting percentage and were able to string points together throughout the match.
"We just never got any rhythm," UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "We are kind of a rhythm team. We rely on that a lot, and we just never could get into any kind of rhythm.
"We are honored to be here representing Conference USA and UAB. It's been a tremendous experience."
Part of the reason Nebraska was able to take UAB out of rhythm was because of its defense at the net. The Huskers finished the match with 10 total team blocks.
With the loss, UAB wraps up arguably the best season in program history with a 27-8 record. Nebraska improves to 29-2 and advances to play Michigan next weekend in the Seattle Regional. The Huskers extended their home court winning streak at the NU Coliseum to 87 matches, tying an NCAA record.
UAB held an early first-set lead at 3-2 before a four-point run capped by a Jordan Larson kill put Nebraska on top, 6-3. The Blazers closed the gap to one point twice, but the Huskers then used a five-point spurt to open up a 12-6 advantage. Nebraska maintained its six-point margin at 18-12 and then went on a six-point run to take a 24-12 lead. Savannah Pegg staved off two set points with kills for UAB, but a kill from Nebraska's Lindsey Licht finished off the set at 25-14.
In the second set, UAB trailed by three points early but pulled within one at 9-8 following a Bozic kill and a Nebraska error. The Huskers, though, stopped the Blazers' momentum with four straight points of their own to take a 13-8 lead on a Tara Mueller kill. Nebraska gradually built upon that advantage and extended its lead to 20-13 on a UAB error. The Huskers rode their strong play to a 25-15 victory, finishing things off with a kill from Mueller.
Nebraska opened the third set just as it had closed the second. A kill from Larson early in the set put the Huskers ahead, 6-2. Later, the Nebraska lead was five before the Huskers went on another run, scoring five straight and extending the lead to 17-7 on a Larson kill. UAB struggled to get anything going as Nebraska rode out the third and final set, 25-12.
Setter Nevena Stefanov led UAB in assists with 26 and in digs with eight, while Pegg added eight kills for the Blazers.
"It was a little bit frustrating for me to decide which way to go because it seemed like wherever we went they put up a big block," Stefanov said. "I still tried to do the same thing we usually do. Savannah Pegg had some really nice kills. She really, really stepped up tonight. Ivana Bozic also had some good short court shots."
Larson led the Nebraska attack with 15 kills, and Licht added 12. Sydney Anderson posted a match-best 33 assists for the Huskers, and Kayla Banwarth led all players with 13 digs.
The UAB season comes to a close but not without a number of significant accomplishments. The Blazers posted 27 victories, tying for the most by the program since 1991, and set a program record for winning percentage at .771. The team also posted its best Conference USA record at 13-3, advanced to the league tournament semifinals for the third straight year and set a school record with a 16-match winning streak.
On top of that, the Blazers won their first ever NCAA tournament match with Friday's victory over Missouri State.
"I'm proud of our kids," Messersmith said. "We've accomplished a lot this year. A lot of people don't realize that this program was 1-24 in 2004, and where we've come since then is pretty amazing. Our seniors have a great deal to do with that. I'm proud of what we've accomplished."
