The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Southern Miss
Volleyball Outlasts Southern Miss 3-2
11/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Final Stats | Box Score 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Four players finished with double figure kills to propel the UAB volleyball team past Southern Miss, 3-2, in a close five-set match on Friday night.
"I'm just so proud of this team for fighting and never giving up," head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "We had a great crowd here tonight and I'm so glad that we could deliver an exciting win for our fans."
UAB improved to 8-23 overall and 4-11 in Conference USA, while Southern Miss fell to 20-12 overall and 9-6 in C-USA. It was a close match as the teams were closely matched in every aspect.
Sophomore Gabby Deshotel led UAB with 19 kills. Senior Bethanie Thomas recorded 14 kills and fellow seniors Kiriana Hirini and Sara Rishell added 11 and 10, respectively. Freshman Gabbi Moreno ran the Blazer offense with 47 assists on the night.
Defensively, UAB was strong at the net once again with 11 blocks. Hirini had a team-high six, which included two block solos and Rishell added four on the night. Sophomore Emma Schroer had a career-high 25 digs and Thomas recorded her fifth double-double of the season, adding 12 digs.
The first set was a battle as the scored was tied 10 times and went into extra points. The teams were locked at 25-25 when an attack error on the Golden Eagles gave UAB a 26-25 advantage. Then a solo block by senior Leslie Ekpe gave the Blazers a 27-25 win to take a 1-0 lead.
Southern Miss came back to tie the match up at 1-1 after winning the second set, 25-19. In the third set, UAB used a 4-0 run to take an 11-8 lead but the Golden Eagles would come back to tie it up at 16-16. The Blazers then rallied off another run to regain the lead and would not relinquish it for a 25-22 win to take a 2-1 lead.
A 25-18 win in the fourth set for the Golden Eagles would send the match to a tie-breaking fifth set. UAB jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fifth, which included two kills by Deshotel. Southern Miss was able to tie the set at 8-8, but the Blazers took back the lead with two-straight points and held on to win the set 15-12.
UAB will conclude the regular season this Sunday as it hosts Marshall at 12 p.m. CT. The Blazers' five seniors will be honored at the end of the match.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For volleyball news, follow @UAB_VB.
