The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Illinois State
Volleyball Clips Skyhawks, Outlasted by Illinois State in Five
9/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2011
Box Score vs. UT Martin | Box Score vs. Illinois State
Box Score vs. UT Martin 
|Box Score vs. Illinois State
MARTIN, Tenn. ---- The UAB volleyball team split a pair of matches on Friday, defeating UT Martin, 3-1, before falling in five sets to Illinois State as part of the First State Skyhawk Invitational.
The loss to the Redbirds snapped the Blazers’ four-game win streak to start the season, the best mark since 2007.
UAB is back on the court Saturday, taking on Stephen F. Austin at noon CT.
UAB 3, UT Martin 1
(25-20, 16-25, 25-12, 26-16)
Freshmen Kiriana Hirini and Ashley Ricks were major factors in the front line as the Blazers knocked off the previously unbeaten UT Martin Skyhawks, 3-1 in UAB’s first match of the tournament.
The duo combined for 11 kills on 22 attacks without committing an error en route to a .500 hitting percentage. The Hirini and Ricks tandem also registered three solo blocks and five block assists in the win.
Kate Morrell topped UAB with a team-best 18 digs, while libero Heather Thomas was right behind her with 17 of her own.
Two Blazers, Ally Slaughter (9K-12D) and Alison Woods (16A-9D), each just missed recording double-doubles, while Michele Simmons added a team-high 10 kills.
The loss dropped UT Martin to 4-1 on the season.
After splitting the first two sets, head coach Kerry Messersmith went to her bench and called on Hirini.
In the first action of her career at UAB, the New Zealand native made an immediate impact in the third set. Hirini knocked down two kills on four swings with two solo blocks and two block assists in the stanza.
Ricks was not to be outdone in the third with five kills on seven attacks (.714) as the team hit .325 in the offensive turnaround, putting the Skyhawks away 25-12. In the set, the Blazers accounted for six of their 11 total blocks on the day and used a 13-2 run when the score was knotted at 4-4 to put the game out of reach.
The fourth set saw four kills from Slaughter and two more from Hirini as the Blazers took the set, 25-16 and secured the four-set victory.
Illinois State 3, UAB 2
(25-18, 25-22, 20-25, 18-25, 15-8)
UAB dropped the first two sets, rallied back to force a game five, but was outlasted by Illinois State, marking the first loss of the season for the Blazers.
“Our passing broke down in the fifth game and we lost momentum,” Messersmith said. “I felt we definitely had momentum going into the set, but couldn’t pull it out.
“Defensively we were as solid as any team that I’ve coached her, but we are still struggling on offense. We don’t make smart decisions with hitters and we need to make adjustments moving forward to be successful.”
Despite the loss, the Blazers put forth some strong statistical performances, led by Serley, who posted the rare double-double in kills and blocks. The Nashville, Tenn., native’s 15 kills tied for team-high honors with Slaughter, and she added 10 total blocks (three solo, seven assist). Serley added a .448 (15K-2E-29TA) hitting clip in the nightcap, tops in the match.
The 15 kills for Slaughter were a career-best, as part of her second double-double of the season.
Others who eclipsed double figures in two statistical categories included UAB setters, Becca Howard and Woods. Howard dished out 23 assists and corralled 10 digs, while Woods slightly edged her teammate with 25 helpers and 15 digs.
Thomas tied for match-high honors with 25 digs, while fellow senior Thais Soares added 15, a career-high.
The Blazers put themselves in a hole by dropping the first two sets but came out with a vengeance in the third frame hitting .382 (17-4-24) as a team. Serley and Slaughter totaled 12 kills on 18 swings with neither player committing an error in the set.
UAB forced a fifth stanza thanks to its defense in the fourth. The Blazers combined for seven total blocks and held the Redbirds to a negative hitting percentage (-.040). Serley posted three block assists, while Thomas tallied seven digs to send the match to a deciding game.
Unfortunately for the Blazers, the squad ran out of steam as the Redbirds captured the set and the match with a 15-8 fifth set victory.
Illinois State improved to 4-2 on the season, and received a 19-kill, 13-dig performance from Shannon McGlaughlin.
