The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Volleyball Visits Houston, Rice In Conference Play
11/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 4, 2010
Game Notes | Friday Gametracker
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB volleyball team opens a four-match road swing this weekend when it travels to Houston, Texas, to battle two of the top teams in Conference USA.
The Blazers will square of with Houston on Friday and Rice on Saturday with both matches slated for 7 p.m. CT first serves. Both opponents enter the week tied for third in the league standings.
UAB (7-17, 4-8 C-USA) played each squad in Birmingham three weeks ago, defeating the Owls in five sets and falling to the Cougars in three. The Blazers turned in a season-high 17 blocks in the win over the Owls, led by eight from Sam Serley, who also posted a match-high 18 kills.
Serley has been on a tear recently, averaging 3.78 kills and 1.37 blocks per set over the past seven matches. The sophomore is hitting for a .435 percentage over that stretch with double-digit kills in all seven outings. For the season, she leads UAB with 3.01 kills per set, 1.00 blocks per frame and a .336 attack percentage.
Over that same seven-match stretch, Blazer setter Alison Woods is averaging 11.48 assists per set. She handed out 55 helpers in last Sunday's four-set loss to Southern Miss.
Jordan McDonald also went off against the Golden Eagles, becoming the first UAB player since 2007 to reach 20 kills and 20 digs in a single match.
The Blazers' loss to Southern Miss came on the heels of a three-set sweep of Tulane two days earlier as UAB split two league matches for the third straight weekend.
Houston (15-10, 9-4 C-USA) enters Friday's contest fresh off a pair of 3-0 sweeps over Marshall and East Carolina last weekend. The Cougars have lost just twice in their past seven outings.
Rice (14-11, 9-4 C-USA) also won on the road last weekend against both East Carolina and Marshall. The Owls will host Memphis on Friday before UAB comes to town for Saturday's match.
