Blazers Sweep Hornets in Home Opener

Tuesday, September 3

Birmingham, Ala. / Bartow Arena

7 p.m.

UAB

1-2

Alabama State

3-1

Alabama State

UAB

Blazers Sweep Hornets in Home Opener

9/3/2019 10:29:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 2019 Stats Box Score

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB volleyball team earned its first win of the season on Tuesday night, sweeping Alabama State 3-0 in its first opportunity to play in front of a home crowd in Bartow Arena. The Blazers maintained control from start to finish over the defending SWAC champions who had won 16 straight regular season matches, keeping the Hornets at bay by answering each time Alabama State attempted to chip away at the UAB lead.

"I'm very excited about how we played at home," said coach Amy Pauly. "I think Alabama State is a great team. They make you work really hard for your points. They make you earn everything you do. I think we played really well. I'm happy that we got to start our home season off with a W."

Player Spotlight
Redshirt freshman Fernanda Maida led the Blazer attack in kills for the third time in as many games this season, racking up 12 kills in the three-setter with an efficient .550 hitting percentage in the match. The Cochabamba, Bolivia, native also pitched in on the defensive end with a team-high six digs.

"I'm really happy and excited for Fern. I know it was hard for her to sit out and watch from the bench last year because she's such a competitor, but she's done a great job of stepping into a role and taking ownership for it," said Pauly. "She's a great player. She's low error. She knows how to create her own shots and hitting percentage. She still has things she has to work on to get better, but she's really started off the season strong, and I hope she can keep it up."

How It Happened
UAB strung together multiple runs of three to five points to jump ahead early in the first set. Alabama State attempted to get back in it with a five-point run of its own in the middle of the set, but the Blazers kept their distance to take the first set.

Set two was more back and forth, but a five-point run by UAB to put the Blazers up 18-10 proved too much for the Hornets to rally back from.

Set three was highly contested as it came down to the wire. Despite an early run by UAB, Alabama State answered, keeping the set tight into the late stages as the Hornets tied the set at 23 all. The Blazers didn't allow Alabama State to take the lead though as redshirt sophomore Anna D'Cruz came through with a kill to clinch the match.

Up Next
The Blazers' next action will be across town as they compete in the Samford Invitational, hosted by Samford at the Pete Hanna Center, on Sept. 6-7. UAB will first take on Jacksonville State at 5 p.m. on Sept. 6 before concluding the tournament on Sept. 7 with UNA at 10 a.m. and host Samford at 7:30 p.m.

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).