UAB Volleyball Falls to Alabama in Closely Contested Match

Thursday, September 12

Birmingham, Ala. / Bartow Arena

7 p.m.

UAB

3-4

Alabama

6-1

UAB

UAB Volleyball Falls to Alabama in Closely Contested Match

9/12/2019 10:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB volleyball team took Alabama to overtime in two sets in front of a raucous Bartow Arena before ultimately being swept on Thursday night. The Blazers reached 15 points before the Crimson Tide in all three sets, leading by as much as five at the mark, but were edged in the latter stages of each set.

"I'm really proud of how our team fought tonight," said coach Amy Pauly. "I think if you look at the box score, you wouldn't necessarily be impressed with how we played. Knowing what the gym atmosphere was like and how long the rallies were, I think that's why both teams' hitting percentages are lower. We had really long rallies tonight, and that just goes to show how hard we played. I think we did things that aren't on the stat sheet really well. We took them out of system with our serve. We had great block touches and positive touches at the net. I think overall, we just had a really good match. It was probably one of our best volleyball matches of the season."

Player Spotlight
Junior outside hitter Abby Carlile led the balanced Blazer offense with 11 kills on the night. The match marked the second time the veteran has led the squad in kills this season after leading the team in the category a year ago.

"Abby did a fantastic job. I think she managed the game really well. She took big swings when she had opportunities. When she had four hands in front of her, she tipped and rolled like a really high-level player. I think she did a good job of stabilizing our offense," said Pauly. "What I'd like to see us do better tomorrow and overall is get our middles more involved. I think Anna (D'Cruz) and Kiana (Mack) need to get the ball more. They're really efficient when they get set, so for the rest of the weekend, we have to find a way to get them the ball."

How it Happened
As previously mentioned, UAB jumped on top early in all three sets. The Blazers picked up seven points in eight rallies to take an early lead and held onto that until a five-point run spurred the Crimson Tide in front. UAB would even things up at 21 and again at 24 to force overtime. The Blazers took the lead at 26-25, but fell 30-28 in the end.

UAB's second hot start led to runs that propelled the Blazers to leads of 5-1 and 12-7. Alabama slowly chipped away at the UAB lead though, picking up its first lead of the set at 18-17. The Crimson Tide went on to win the set, 25-18.

Despite being down two sets, the intensity remained the same for the Blazers as they built a 9-5 lead. UAB kept a narrow lead through a few more rallies to stay ahead, but Alabama overcame the deficit to take a 16-15 lead. The Blazers kept within striking distance though, tying the match again at 21 all. The two sides battled back and forth as UAB took the lead once the set reached overtime at 26-25, but Alabama never faltered, later taking the final set, 30-28.

"I think playing that match first certainly sets a standard for how we need to play for the whole tournament. Every team that we face this weekend is going to have different challenges. One of the things we keep talking about is that throughout those challenges, we need to remain the same. That's what I challenged our kids with. It doesn't matter who the opponent is," said Pauly. "Can we serve and pass at a high level? Can we play low error volleyball? We just need to be consistent throughout the match. We did better at that tonight. I still think we had some dips. I think we were up six points in the second set, but we beat Alabama to 15 in every set, so we're starting out hot. We need to continue to do that throughout the weekend, but finish sets."

Up Next
UAB will continue to host the Blazer Invitational, taking Alcorn State at noon and facing Georgia State at 7 p.m. Live streaming and live stats will be available.

Tickets
There are various ticket packages to choose from for those planning to attend matches. As with all UAB home matches, each individual match of the tournament is $5 per adult and $3 per youth.

For fans interested in attending multiple games, there is a Blazer Invitational 3-Day ticket package available for $12 per adult and $7 per youth. Fans who purchase the Blazer Invitational 3-Day ticket package are allowed to come and go each day with their daily ticket without needing to purchase another ticket package as long as they exit from the designated area. Signage will be provided to indicate the designated exit.

Group tickets are also available for $2 each for groups of 15 or more. To order, call the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 or click here for more details.

For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter or Instagram (@UAB_VB).