Blazers Edged by Bulldogs in Five-Set Thriller

Friday, September 20

Starkville, Miss.

5 p.m.

UAB

8-5

Mississippi State

11-1

UAB

Mississippi St.

Blazers Edged by Bulldogs in Five-Set Thriller

9/20/2019 9:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The UAB Volleyball team gave Mississippi State all it could handle on its home floor Friday night, taking the first and third sets before falling in a five-set nailbiter, 3-2. The Blazers (8-5) nearly handed the Bulldogs (11-1) their second loss of the season as multiple players turned in career nights.

"I'm really happy with how our team competed. One of the things we talked about was playing an SEC opponent in their home gym, and I thought we did a really good job of challenging them," said coach Amy Pauly. "I thought we certainly gave ourselves the opportunity to win the match and just couldn't close it out. We've talked all preseason about how nonconference games prepare you for conference. I think that's exactly what our schedule over the last four weeks has done for us."

Player Spotlight
Redshirt junior Emma Mitchell has cemented herself as the focal point of the UAB offense, continuing to lead the way as she tied her career high for the second time with 19 kills on the night. As per usual, the Charlotte, N.C., native also pitched in on the defensive side with 13 digs in the contest. Mitchell was also selected to the Hail State Invitational All-Tournament Team for her performance throughout.

"Emma just continues to show that she can be the go-to player at the end of the game. Overall, she's doing a great job establishing herself as somebody that other teams need to worry about offensively," said Pauly. "She's a great server, she's passing a high number for us, and she's digging a lot of balls. She just continues to be that rock that we're looking for as someone that we can lean on over the course of the entire match."

Other Blazers adding career best numbers included freshman setters Rachel Morse and Grace Koper along with sophomore libero Brianna Muller. While Muller had 20 digs and Koper added 18 digs to notch career highs, Morse surpassed her season assist total with 54 on the night. Morse also joined Mitchell as a member of the Hail State Invitational All-Tournament Team.

"Rachel is starting to find her rhythm with the offense, and she's done a really good job of doing the things we're asking her to do as a freshman," said Pauly. "I think it's pretty impressive that she can take command of the offense. I'm really proud of her."

How it Happened
The Blazers started off on the right foot as they took an early lead. Both squads would trade blows throughout the rest of the set until UAB exploded for an eight-point run to claim the frame, 25-17.

Set two was flipped in Mississippi State's favor as the Bulldogs jumped on top early. With a key five-point run to take a 15-6 lead, Mississippi State finished out the set on top, 25-19.

The tide turned back in the Blazers' favor in the third set as early runs fueled them to a 10-5 lead. Although the Bulldogs bounced back with their own run to take a three-point led, UAB responded by taking eight out of the last 11 points to snag the set, 25-22.

Once again, the match shifted back in Mississippi State's favor in set four. The Bulldogs burst out to a 10-4 lead and kept the pressure on, containing the Blazers on the way to a 25-16 set win.

As the match came down to the fifth set, things were neck-and-neck throughout. Mississippi State was able to add up multiple two-point bursts to edge UAB in the end, coming out with a 15-11 set win for a narrow, 3-2 match win.

"In general, our freshmen are adjusting really well," said Pauly. "The thing we wanted to do with our nonconference opponents was schedule tough so they had to learn quickly. I think they've absolutely done that, and they along with our whole team is going to be prepared for conference play."

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).