UAB Prevails over ETSU in Five-Set Nailbiter

Saturday, September 14

Birmingham, Ala. / Bartow Arena

4:30 p.m.

UAB

6-4

East Tennessee State

7-2

ETSU

UAB

UAB Prevails over ETSU in Five-Set Nailbiter

9/14/2019 9:24:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB volleyball team came out victorious in its first five-set match of the season, topping ETSU 3-2 to conclude the 2019 Blazer Invitational on Saturday. The Blazers went 3-1 overall in the tournament, using the home court to their advantage as UAB has now won four out of the five matches in Bartow Arena this season.

"Winning in five was great. I think it proved to us that we are growing," said coach Amy Pauly. "We've had a lot of close sets this year. For us to not only sustain and be competitive in a fifth set, but also come out with a win shows that we keep getting better."

Player Spotlight
Redshirt junior outside hitter Emma Mitchell was a force for the Blazers all around, most notably piling up 19 kills on the Lady Bucs to tie her career high set a season ago. The Charlotte, N.C., native's stellar performance throughout the weekend landed her on the 2019 Blazer Invitational All-Tournament Team.

"Emma was consistent for us all weekend. I know she was a little surprised with the amount of balls that were served at her this weekend at first, but she embraced the challenge," said Pauly. "She put the team on her back, and I think her numbers show that."

Sophomore libero Brianna Muller also impressed, tying for the team-high in digs with 16. Muller was all over the place throughout the weekend, lifting the team's energy and keeping rallies alive to also earn a spot on the 2019 Blazer Invitational All-Tournament Team.

"Brianna Muller just had a breakout weekend for us. Serve receive is never a number that's shown on stats, but she did a great job anchoring our serve-receive pattern," said Pauly. "She was a spark plug for us on defense, and she was really hard to score on. I think she adds another dynamic to our team."

How it Happened
ETSU came out hot in the first set, jumping out to an 11-3 lead. The Lady Bucs continued to hammer away and reached a 17-9 lead, but UAB answered at that point, putting together runs of four and five points to take its first lead of the match at 22-21. ETSU took back control after that, taking the 25-22 set win.

UAB was dominant in the second set. The two sides traded blows early on, but the Blazers took nine out of 10 points in the middle of the set to catapult ahead, 20-11. UAB then finished off the set with a 25-15 win.

The third set was neck-and-neck throughout as UAB first created separation with a six-point run to jump ahead, 19-16. Although ETSU would draw within a point, The Blazers clung to the lead beyond that to late take the set, 25-22.

The fourth set was tightly contested, but a couple of short runs gave the Lady Bucs a slight advantage. With ETSU up 21-15, UAB made a comeback with six points in seven rallies to draw within one before the Lady Bucs clinched the set, 25-23.

In the frame, UAB jumped out to a 5-1 lead. The Blazers kept that edge as the set waned on, reaching match point up 14-8. ETSU made a final push to draw within one, but Mitchell came through as she had all weekend with the match-clinching kill for the 15-13 set win and 3-2 match win.

"I think beating ETSU is a great measuring stick for us," said Pauly. "They're an awesome team. They have great history of being successful. For us to beat them in a five setter again shows the progress that our program is making."

Up Next
UAB will next travel to Starkville, Miss., to compete in the Hail State Invitational hosted by Mississippi State. On Sept. 19, the Blazers will take on North Florida on at 10 a.m. to open the tournament and Jackson State at 5 p.m. to finish the day. UAB will wrap up the tournament against host Mississippi State on Sept. 20 at 5 p.m. Streaming and live stat information will be provided by Mississippi State.

Volleyball season tickets are on sale by purchasing the 2019-20 Gold Card for $65. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all UAB volleyball, men's and women's soccer, women's basketball, baseball and softball events for the upcoming academic year. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.

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