The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Thursday, September 19
Starkville, Miss.
10 a.m.
UAB
vs
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North Florida
Blazers Make Short Trip for Hail State Invitational
9/18/2019 5:06:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB volleyball team will hit the road once more for its final tournament prior to conference play, traveling to Starkville, Miss., to compete in the Hail State Invitational, hosted by Mississippi State, on Thursday and Friday.
The Blazers are scheduled to take on North Florida at 10 a.m. and Jackson State at 5 p.m. on Thursday, then wrap up the tournament against host Mississippi State at 5 p.m. on Friday in the Newell-Grissom Building. Live stat and streaming links for each match are provided on the UAB volleyball schedule page.
UAB this season
UAB (6-4) jumped back into the win column last weekend after winning three of four matches while hosting the 2019 Blazer Invitational. Despite forcing overtime in two sets, UAB dropped the first match of the tournament to Alabama in three. The Blazers then won three straight matches by sweeping Alcorn State, downing Georgia State 3-1 and outlasting ETSU in their first five setter of the season, 3-2.
In that performance, redshirt sophomore Anna D'Cruz shined on the defensive end as she anchored UAB from the middle. The Atlanta, Ga., native piled up 16 total blocks (1.14 per set) through the tournament to earn Conference USA Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors. On the season, she leads the squad with 37 total blocks and has also contributed offensively with 46 kills to date. Redshirt junior outside hitter Emma Mitchell has taken the lead for the Blazer attack as well as being a key piece on defense, hammering down a team-high 105 kills and leading the team with 98 digs this season.
Scouting North Florida
The Ospreys (5-4) will enter the tournament after winning their last contest, recently topping Georgia Southern in a midweek contest in five sets.
As a unit, North Florida leads the ASUN with a .269 hitting percentage. The Ospreys also have the same national ranking in kills and assists, coming in at No. 12 in the nation and No. 2 in their conference with 543 kills and 504 assists.
Individually, freshman setter Julianna Askew is currently fourth in the country and second in the ASUN in assists with 422 on the year. Joining her in the top 25 nationally are teammates Rocio Moro and Gabby O'Connell. Moro, a freshman libero, is sitting at No. 24 in the country and first in the conference in digs with 192 this year. O'Connell, a redshirt junior outside hitter, is 14th in the nation and leads her conference in kills with 162 on the year.
Scouting Jackson State
The Tigers (3-9) come into the tournament on a rough stretch, losing their last nine matches after sweeping the SWAC/MEAC tournament to open the season. Jackson State was most recently swept by New Orleans.
As a team, the Tigers lead the SWAC in total blocks with 76 this season. Spearheading that effort is junior middle blocker Marina Bianchi Brito with 37 total blocks to lead the conference individually. Freshman defensive specialist Alana Washington has also been a defensive leader, scooping up 166 digs to lead the conference as well.
Scouting Mississippi State
The Bulldogs (8-1) have caught fire in the early stages of the season, sweeping their first two tournaments and dropping their only match to Stetson in a five setter. Mississippi State suffered that loss in its last tournament, the Gamecock Classic, before sweeping Sam Houston State and downing host Jacksonville State, 3-1.
The Bulldogs lead the SEC in total blocks to this point in the season and currently slot as No. 39 in the nation in the category with 87 to date. Individually, sophomore middle blocker Gabby Waden has paced Mississippi State's offense with 113 kills.
Up Next
UAB will next open up conference play on the road, starting with North Texas and finishing with Louisiana Tech. The Blazers will face the Mean Green in Plano, Texas on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. Following that on Sept. 29, the Blazers and Lady Techsters will square off in Ruston, La. at 1 p.m. to conclude the weekend.
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).
The Blazers are scheduled to take on North Florida at 10 a.m. and Jackson State at 5 p.m. on Thursday, then wrap up the tournament against host Mississippi State at 5 p.m. on Friday in the Newell-Grissom Building. Live stat and streaming links for each match are provided on the UAB volleyball schedule page.
UAB this season
UAB (6-4) jumped back into the win column last weekend after winning three of four matches while hosting the 2019 Blazer Invitational. Despite forcing overtime in two sets, UAB dropped the first match of the tournament to Alabama in three. The Blazers then won three straight matches by sweeping Alcorn State, downing Georgia State 3-1 and outlasting ETSU in their first five setter of the season, 3-2.
In that performance, redshirt sophomore Anna D'Cruz shined on the defensive end as she anchored UAB from the middle. The Atlanta, Ga., native piled up 16 total blocks (1.14 per set) through the tournament to earn Conference USA Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors. On the season, she leads the squad with 37 total blocks and has also contributed offensively with 46 kills to date. Redshirt junior outside hitter Emma Mitchell has taken the lead for the Blazer attack as well as being a key piece on defense, hammering down a team-high 105 kills and leading the team with 98 digs this season.
Scouting North Florida
The Ospreys (5-4) will enter the tournament after winning their last contest, recently topping Georgia Southern in a midweek contest in five sets.
As a unit, North Florida leads the ASUN with a .269 hitting percentage. The Ospreys also have the same national ranking in kills and assists, coming in at No. 12 in the nation and No. 2 in their conference with 543 kills and 504 assists.
Individually, freshman setter Julianna Askew is currently fourth in the country and second in the ASUN in assists with 422 on the year. Joining her in the top 25 nationally are teammates Rocio Moro and Gabby O'Connell. Moro, a freshman libero, is sitting at No. 24 in the country and first in the conference in digs with 192 this year. O'Connell, a redshirt junior outside hitter, is 14th in the nation and leads her conference in kills with 162 on the year.
Scouting Jackson State
The Tigers (3-9) come into the tournament on a rough stretch, losing their last nine matches after sweeping the SWAC/MEAC tournament to open the season. Jackson State was most recently swept by New Orleans.
As a team, the Tigers lead the SWAC in total blocks with 76 this season. Spearheading that effort is junior middle blocker Marina Bianchi Brito with 37 total blocks to lead the conference individually. Freshman defensive specialist Alana Washington has also been a defensive leader, scooping up 166 digs to lead the conference as well.
Scouting Mississippi State
The Bulldogs (8-1) have caught fire in the early stages of the season, sweeping their first two tournaments and dropping their only match to Stetson in a five setter. Mississippi State suffered that loss in its last tournament, the Gamecock Classic, before sweeping Sam Houston State and downing host Jacksonville State, 3-1.
The Bulldogs lead the SEC in total blocks to this point in the season and currently slot as No. 39 in the nation in the category with 87 to date. Individually, sophomore middle blocker Gabby Waden has paced Mississippi State's offense with 113 kills.
Up Next
UAB will next open up conference play on the road, starting with North Texas and finishing with Louisiana Tech. The Blazers will face the Mean Green in Plano, Texas on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. Following that on Sept. 29, the Blazers and Lady Techsters will square off in Ruston, La. at 1 p.m. to conclude the weekend.
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).
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