The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Mercer
Volleyball Defeats Mercer, 3-1
9/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
OXFORD, Miss. - Sophomore Gabby Deshotel put down a career-high 22 kills to lead the UAB volleyball team past Mercer, 3-1, on Friday afternoon in its final match of the Magnolia Invitational.
UAB (3-7) dropped the first set, 25-23, to Mercer (3-5), but rattled off three-straight wins to take the match. The Blazers finished with 53 kills on .250 hitting, while holding the Bears to just .181 hitting percentage.
Deshotel had a solid match all-round, also boasting a .349 hitting percentage and recording a career-high six blocks. Seniors Sara Rishell and Leslie Ekpe contributed nine and seven kills, respectively, to power the Blazer offense.
At setter, sophomore Amber Treace tallied 45 helpers among six different players for UAB. Treace also added two service aces, six digs and two blocks. Defensively, senior Bethanie Thomas had her second-straight match with double figure digs with 14 and freshman Alexis Howell picked up 13 digs.
Down 1-0 and trailing 16-13 in the middle of the second set, the Blazers used a 9-4 run to take a 22-20 lead to force a Mercer timeout. UAB remained poised and finished the second set with a 25-22 win to tie the match at 1-1.
UAB carried its momentum into the third set jumping out to an early lead. The teams traded points back-and-forth, but the Blazers never trailed and eventually took a 21-17 lead to force the Bears to take their second timeout of the set. UAB held on to win 25-20 and go up 2-1.
In the fourth and final set, the Blazers had to battle back from a 6-2 deficit but several runs gave UAB a 13-10 lead. The teams were then tied 18-18 later in the set and once again the Green and Gold put together a run to stretch its lead to 22-18. The Blazers remained in control to take the set, 25-21, and the match.
UAB will return to the state of Alabama for a mid-week match with Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday night. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m. CT.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For volleyball news, follow @UAB_VB.
