The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Volleyball Treks West for Conference Matches
11/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
UAB (9-19, 1-12 C-USA) at UTEP (7-20, 1-11 C-USA)
Friday, November 6 - 3 p.m. CT | El Paso, Texas - Memorial Gym
Game Coverage: Twitter | | Watch Live | Match NotesUAB (9-19, 1-12 C-USA) at UTSA (17-7, 8-2 C-USA)
Sunday, November 8 - 1 p.m. CT | San Antonio, Texas - Convocation Center
Game Coverage: Twitter | Live Stats | Watch Live | Match NotesBIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB volleyball team treks west for its final road matches of the regular season, facing UTEP and UTSA in league matches over the weekend.
The Blazers begin their Texas road trip at UTEP Friday, taking on the Miners at 3 p.m. CT inside Memorial Gym.
UAB will travel to UTSA on Sunday for a rematch with the Roadrunners. UTSA swept the Blazers in straight sets to open the month of October. Sunday's rematch is set for 1 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
Live stats and live streaming for both matches can be accessed at UTEPAthletics.com and GoUTSA.com, respectively, and can be accessed in the links above. In-match updates will also be provided at the UAB volleyball's twitter page (@UAB_VB).
UAB Notes
Welcome to the Record Book
Outside hitter Gabby Deshotel continued her outstanding junior campaign in grand fashion last weekend, etching her name in UAB's single-season record book. The
Deshotel has tallied 1,242 attempts during the 2015 season, sixth-most in a single season and the most by any Blazer since the 2008 season. With four matches left in the regular season, Deshotel is on pace to move into the fourth spot on the list.
Series History
Friday's meeting will be the 14th in history and the first of the 2015 season between UAB and the Miners. UAB leads the all-time series over UTEP, 10-3, but the Miners squeaked by UAB last season in a five-set thriller.
In the last meeting between the squads, Sydney Nelson added 12 kills to the Blazers' attack with Deshotel contributing 10. Seven different Blazers contributed to UAB's 16 blocks against the Miners.
UAB trails the all-time series against UTSA, 1-6, as the Roadrunners notched a 3-0 victory over the Green and Gold earlier in the season.
Deshotel led the Blazers, totaling 17 of UAB's 38 points. The outside hitter garnered 15 kills for a team-high .257 clip in the October match. Amber Treace dished out 29 assists and seven digs while Emma Schroer led the defense with 12 digs.
Scouting the Opposition
UTEP
The Miners enter Friday's contest with a 7-20 overall record with a 1-11 mark in league action. Six of the Miners' seven wins came in tournament play in the first month of the season with UTEP notching wins over Abilene Christian, 3-1, South Alabama, 3-2, Brown, 3-1, Robert Morris, 3-1, Southeast Missouri State, 3-2 and Bradley, 3-0.
The Miners opened conference play with back-to-back losses to Charlotte, 3-1, and North Texas, 3-0, before knocking off Middle Tennessee, 3-1, for their first win in the league. UTEP is currently riding a 10-match losing streak.
Talia Jones heads the Miners' offense with 257 kills while attacking at a .153 clip. Jones has racked up a team-leading 279 points over the season. Lindsey Larson serves as the Miner's setter, dishing out 888 helpers to average 8.62 per set.
Defensively, Sarah Villa tops UTEP with 369 digs, while two additional Miners have garnered over 300 digs this season.
UTSA
Since playing the Blazers in Bartow Arena, the Roadrunners went 5-2 and improved their overall record to 18-7. UTSA currently sits second in the league standings with a 9-2 conference mark.
After defeating UAB to open October, UTSA has knocked off UTEP twice and recorded wins over Rice, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic and FIU. The lone losses over the stretch have
The Roadrunners will host Rice and Louisiana Tech before the Blazers roll into San Antonio.
Dajana Boskovic paces the Roadrunner offense with 324 kills (4.26 per set). Boskovic is strong defensively with 207 digs and 57 blocks. Amanda Gonzales and Jessica Waldrip split time serving as the Roadrunners' setter with 445 and 472 assists, respectively.
Annie Kunes leads UTSA's defense with 337 digs, averaging 3.66 per set.
For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_VB). For more on all Blazersports teams follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
