Blazers Vault Back into Win Column with Pair of Victories

Friday, September 13

Birmingham, Ala. / Bartow Arena

Noon

UAB

4-4

Alcorn State

2-4

Alcorn State

UAB

Blazers Vault Back into Win Column with Pair of Victories

9/13/2019 11:06:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Alcorn State Box Georgia State Box Season Stats

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB volleyball team won both of its matches in the Blazer Invitational on Friday, sweeping Alcorn State and topping Georgia State, 3-1, in Bartow Arena. The two wins thrusted the Blazers back above .500 as they now sit at 5-4 on the year.

"I'm really happy with how the team played today mostly because yesterday was a really emotional game," said coach Amy Pauly. "For them to rebound and win an early match this afternoon, then turn around grind out a win in a 7 p.m. match, I'm just really happy that we didn't have a postgame hangover dragging into today. I'm happy with how we competed."

Player Spotlight
Sophomore libero Brianna Muller played a huge role in anchoring the Blazer defense through the two matches. The San Antonio, Texas, native accumulated 32 blocks on the day, notching 18 against Georgia State to come up one dig shy of her career record. Muller's presence not only kept rallies alive, but also sparked the rest of the unit.

"Bri really stepped up as a defensive leader today. I think that when she has energy on the court and is her scrappy self, she makes everybody around her play harder," said Pauly. "I was glad to see her have a breakout performance with how many digs she had over the course of the two matches."

On the offensive side, redshirt sophomore Alex Kells was one of the leaders of UAB's attack with 18 kills on the day. The outside hitter had a team-high nine kills in the sweep of Alcorn State and pitched in the same total in the victory over Georgia State.

"Alex had a great day. She moved back on the outside today, and she does a really good job of creating opportunities for herself," said Pauly. "She's a really smart player and intelligent attacker. When she finds her rhythm in the game, she can be a pretty unstoppable kid."

Match 1: UAB 3, Alcorn State 0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-15)
UAB dominated the match overall, leading every major statistical category such as kills, blocks, aces, assists and digs. The Blazers nearly doubled the Lady Braves' overall point total (46-24) and assist total (33-17) while piling up more than twice as many kills (37-18).

The first set was close early, but UAB claimed nine of the last 10 points to take the first set, 25-14.

The Blazers got on top earlier in set two, using a quick run to jump ahead 8-4. UAB never gave up the lead beyond that as a five-point run in the latter stages of the set led to a 25-15 win.

The third set stayed competitive midway through, but the Blazers took 10 of 11 points to catapult ahead 19-9 and finished the job for the 25-15 win.

Match 2: UAB 3 , Georgia State 1 (28-26, 20-25, 25-14, 25-20)
UAB also led Georgia State in most major statistical categories such as kills (48-43), aces (11-6), assists (46-41) and digs (73-58). Although some were narrow differences, the advantages had a major impact on the outcome.

UAB scored four points out of the gate in the first set and went on a similar run later in the set to create a slight advantage, 14-8. As Georgia State evened things up, another quick run kept the Blazers ahead, 21-17. UAB was able to reach match point at 24-19, but Georgia State rallied to force extra sets. The effort wouldn't affect the impending result though as the Blazers later clinched the set, 28-26.

The second set was back-and-forth as each side was able to go on short runs. It was Georgia State that came out on top by clinching the set with six out of the last eight points, 25-20.

The third set was much of the same as UAB rallied to the first major advantage with a late run to go up, 17-10. The Blazers kept their momentum going from there earning seven of the last nine points to claim the set in dominant fashion, 25-14.

Georgia State started off the fourth set with a 7-1 lead, but UAB chipped away at the lead throughout the set until climbing on top, 16-15. From there, a short run put the Blazers up by four, which allowed UAB to later close out the set and clinch the match with a 25-20 set win.

Up Next
UAB will next close out the Blazer Invitational on Saturday by taking on ETSU. The Blazers and Bucs are set to square off at 4:30 p.m. in Bartow Arena. Live stats and streaming will be provided.

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).