The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts UTEP, UTSA In Conference Play
10/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
UAB (4-15, 1-3 C-USA) vs. UTEP (2-14, 0-5 C-USA)
Friday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. CT
Birmingham, Ala. – Bartow Arena
Coverage: Live Stats | Watch
UAB (4-15, 1-3 C-USA) vs. UTSA (9-7, 5-0 C-USA)
Sunday, Oct. 12 at 12 p.m. CT
Birmingham, Ala. – Bartow Arena
Coverage: Live Stats | Watch
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB volleyball team returns home to host UTEP and UTSA in Conference USA play. The Blazers are set to take on the Miners on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m., and then face the Roadrunners on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 12 p.m. CT.
Last weekend, UAB (4-15, 1-3 C-USA) was on the road in league play at Florida Atlantic and FIU. The Blazers fell to the Owls, 3-0, on Friday and dropped a 3-1 match to FIU on Sunday.
Senior Kiriana Hirini led the team will 11 kills in the most recent outing against FIU. Hirini also led the team with three blocks. Junior Sydney Nelson reached double-digit kills for the ninth time this season, recording 10 against the Panthers.
Fans can watch a live stream of both matches this weekend on UABsports.com.
Series History
This will be the 13th meeting between UAB and UTEP. The Blazers currently hold a 10-2 advantage over the Miners in the series. UAB won the most recent meeting last season when it defeated UTEP, 3-0, on Oct. 25, 2013.
Sunday’s match will mark the fifth meeting for UAB and UTSA. The two teams met last season, with UTSA winning, 3-0, on Nov. 8, 2013. The win gave the Roadrunners a 3-1 advantage over the Blazers in the series.
Scouting the Opposition
UTEP (2-14, 0-5 C-USA) will be looking to snap a seven-match losing streak. The Miners have not won a conference match so far this season, most recently falling to UTSA, 3-1. Coline Coessens is leading UTSA with 151 kills, averaging 2.75 kills per set. Two players are averaging over 1.00 blocks per set, Krystal Ejesieme and Dominique Millett have 58 and 56 blocks on the season, respectively.
UTSA (9-7, 5-0 C-USA) comes in as the top team in Conference USA after starting 5-0 in conference play. The Roadrunners most recently defeated UTEP, 3-1 at home. Dajana Boskovic is averaging a team-high 4.21 kills per set, while Dempsey Thornton has tallied a team-leading 225 kills (3.57/set) for UTSA. Both players rank in the top-5 in C-USA. Seven players rank among the top-10 in C-USA, including digs leader Annie Kunes who is averaging 4.83 digs per set.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For volleyball news, follow @UAB_VB.
