The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Volleyball Hosts Alabama State In Mid-Week Match
10/28/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 28, 2013
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB volleyball team (17-9, 5-4 C-USA) will host Alabama State (16-13, 4-1 SWAC) Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. CT. It will be the Blazers’ second-consecutive game against a team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference. UAB defeated Alabama A&M, 3-0, on Sunday night.
The meeting will mark the 19th time the two teams have played each other, with UAB holding a 14-4 lead. The series dates back to the first season of Blazer volleyball when the teams met twice in 1978. Alabama State won both of those meetings. Most recently, the teams faced off on Nov. 7, 1995, when UAB won, 3-0.
About the Hornets
Most recently, Alabama State fell to Texas Southern in a close five-set match. The team is averaging 11.34 kills per set and carries a hitting percentage of .189 on the season. The Hornets are led by Amber Bennett, who is averaging 2.77 kills per set. Bennett has also been strong at the net with an average of 0.88 blocks per set.
About the Blazers
UAB is coming off wins over UTEP and Alabama A&M over the weekend. After dropping the first set to UTEP, UAB has won six-straight sets en route to two wins. Sophomore Sam Skinner leads the Blazers with an average of 4.21 kills per set. Defensively, UAB is led by Rachel Fairbanks with 5.04 digs per set and junior Sara Rishell who is averaging 1.18 blocks per set.
Fairbanks Diggin’ It
Earning her second honor of the season, senior libero Rachel Fairbanks was named the Conference USA Volleyball Co-Defensive Player of the Week. It is the fourth weekly honor of her career and the fifth time a UAB volleyball player has been selected this season.
She averaged 5.29 digs per set and helped limit UAB's opponents to just a .188 attack percentage last week. The senior led all players will 23 digs at UTEP, while holding the Miners to just .176 attack percentage Friday.
She added 14 digs Sunday evening at Alabama A&M, once again leading all players in the category. Her 37 total digs this past weekend moved Fairbanks into 10th all-time, past Blazer great Tonya Larson, with 1,260 digs in her career. She is just three away from surpassing Wendy Huber for ninth in UAB history.
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