The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Uzoh, Serley Garner Postseason Honors From Conference USA
11/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 19, 2009
Championship Central | Gametracker | Watch Live!
HOUSTON -- UAB junior volleyball player Michelle Uzoh has been named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year, while teammate Sam Serley has been voted to the league's all-freshman team, as selected by the league's head coaches.
The pair of middle blockers was honored Thursday with the release of the all-conference teams and postseason awards on the eve of the Conference USA Championship hosted by Rice University in Houston, Texas.
UAB (17-15, 9-7 C-USA) is the No. 7 seed and plays its first tournament match Friday at 2 p.m. CT against second-seeded Tulsa (24-6, 13-3 C-USA) at Rice's Tudor Fieldhouse.
"Blocking has been one of our biggest strengths all season, and Michelle and Sam have been a big part of that," UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "Those two along with Patty Paniagua have provided us with a strong presence in the middle that has made things tough on our opponents."
Uzoh, who is in her first season at UAB after transferring from Georgia Southern, is tied for first in the conference with a 1.24 blocks-per-set average and ranks fifth in the league with a .311 attack percentage. She is the third Blazer in the past four years to win the Newcomer of the Year award, joining sisters Fernanda Domingos (2006) and Lilly Domingos (2007).
Serley, a freshman from Thompson's Station, Tenn., has made an immediate impact in her rookie campaign. She checks in right behind Uzoh with a .310 attack percentage to rank sixth in the conference and also ranks 10th in the league with 0.98 blocks per set.
The duo has helped the Blazers develop into the third-best blocking team in Conference USA this season with 2.40 blocks per set as a team. Both players have also been significant contributors on the offensive end as Serley averages 2.78 kills per frame and Uzoh adds 2.14.
Fans can follow Friday's first-round match and the entire tournament with Gametracker live stats and All-Access streaming video online through Championship Central at conferenceusa.com. Gametracker and All-Access video for the Blazers' matches will also be available at uabsports.com.
