The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
McNeese State
Volleyball Swings Past McNeese State Cowgirls, 3-1
9/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 16, 2011
OMAHA, Neb. ---- The UAB volleyball team motored past McNeese State, 3-1 (25-11, 25-10, 23-25, 27-25) on Friday evening at the D.J. Sokol Arena in the Blazers' first match of the Creighton Classic. UAB (8-2) rounds out non-conference play for the season with Drake (10 a.m. CT) and tournament-host Creighton (7:30 p.m. CT) on Saturday.
The Blazers were in complete control of the match, claiming the first two sets in dominating fashion. However, the Cowgirls would not be denied capturing the third frame and extending the fourth stanza before Heather Thomas rocketed back-to-back service aces to claim the set and the match.
Sam Serley led three players who reached double-digit kills with 15, while Kate Morrell and Ally Slaughter added 13 a piece. Serley also recorded a match-best seven blocks and hit at a .480 clip.
Morrell loaded up the box score, contributing her third double-double of the season. Back in her home state of Nebraska, the Ogallala native recorded 12 digs, six total blocks, two service aces for a match-high 19 total points.
Continuing on her recent success on the attacking end was Kirsten Gallagher. She finished the night with a .438 hitting clip, connecting for seven kills on 16 swings with no errors. Gallagher has now gone the last four matches without registering an attacking miscue. During that span she has hit a blistering .600, collecting 30 kills on 50 attempts.
In the opening set of the night, the two squads traded points, with UAB clinging to an early one-point lead, 7-6. Later in the frame, a kill from Serley and ball handling error from the Cowgirls extended the advantage to 11-7, forcing McNeese State (5-7) to call a timeout. The stoppage of play could not clot the bleeding, as UAB went on a scoring spree, thanks to a 14-4 run, capped off by Morrell kill to close the stanza.
The second frame showed strikingly similar characteristics to the previous set. UAB owned a two-point edge, 8-6, before exploding on a 17-4 run, cruising to a win in the second set.
As a team the Blazers hit a sizzling .571 in the set, hammering home 14 kills on 21 attacks with only two miss-hits as a three-game sweep appeared to be in sight.
The tides changed every so quickly for the Blazers as McNeese State turned the match around, earning a 25-23 win.
Within points of sending the match to a deciding stanza and the fourth set knotted at 25-all, Thomas, a senior, proved to be calm under pressure lacing consecutive aces to propel UAB to victory.
NEXT UP: UAB is back on the court on Saturday with a pair of matches. The first contest is against Drake at 10 a.m. CT and later the Blazers take the court against Creighton at 7:30 p.m. CT.
