The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Friday, September 6
Homewood, Ala.
5 p.m.
UAB
vs
Jacksonville State
UAB Skips Over the Mountain for Samford Invitational
9/5/2019 4:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB Volleyball team will make the short trek over the mountain on Friday as it prepares to compete in the Samford Invitational, hosted by Samford in Homewood, Ala., at the Pete Hanna Center over the weekend. The Blazers will be taking on Jacksonville State, North Alabama and host Samford in the tournament.
UAB will begin with Jacksonville State at 5 p.m. on Friday, followed by two Saturday matches. The Blazers will begin the day with North Alabama at 10 a.m. and wrap up the tournament with host Samford at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free for fans interested in attending. For those supporting off site, a live stream for each match will be provided on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available on StatBroadcast. Specific links for each contest are located on the UAB volleyball schedule page.
UAB this season:
UAB (1-2) earned its first win of the season last Tuesday in its home opener as the Blazers swept defending SWAC Champion and previous winner of 16 straight regular season matches Alabama State. The Blazers previously dropped a pair of tightly contested matches to Ball State and USF in the Ball State Tournament.
Individually, redshirt freshman Fernanda Maida has spearheaded the UAB attack with a team-high 38 kills and four service aces through her first three collegiate matches. The Cochabamba, Bolivia, native most recently piled up 12 kills, including a service ace, for a .550 hitting percentage to go with her six digs to lead the Blazers over Alabama State.
A pair of UAB true freshman has also stepped up this season. Rachel Morse currently leads the squad from the setter position with 69 set assists, while Kiana Mack leads the team in blocks with eight and has the third-most kills on the team with 24 to date. Mack also previously picked up All-Tournament honors for her performance at the Ball State Tournament a week ago.
Scouting the Gamecocks:
Jacksonville State (1-2) hosted the Jax State Invitational to kick off its season, dropping a pair of matches to ETSU and Troy before picking up its first win this year in a sweep of Southeastern Louisiana.
Offensively, the Gamecocks are led by sophomore outside hitter Lena Kindermann with 41 kills. The Neuenkirchen, Germany, native also has seven blocks, but Jacksonville State's defense is anchored by middle blocker/outside hitter Kaylee Frear with 11 blocks. The senior has also contributed on the offensive side with 28 kills, the third-best mark for the Gamecocks.
The last time the two sides met on Sept. 10, 2016, Jacksonville State came out on top, 3-1. In the all-time series though, UAB currently holds a 13-10 lead.
Scouting the Lions:
North Alabama (1-2) opened its season with a win over host Belmont in the Belmont Bruiser Showcase, but was swept by Arkansas State and Milwaukee to follow.
The Lions have been led offensively by a true freshman in outside hitter Alyssa Dutton with 30 kills this season to go with her 30 digs, which rank second on the team. North Alabama's defense is led by two Sullivans (unrelated) as freshman middle blocker Maggie has a team-high 10 blocks while sophomore libero Mackenzie leads the Lions with 45 digs. North Alabama leads the all-time series, 8-3.
Scouting the Bulldogs:
Samford (1-2) traveled to Tucson, Ariz. to compete in the Arizona Invitational to open its season. As all three matches were decided in the fifth set, the Bulldogs dropped their first two matches to Loyola Marymount and Appalachian State before stunning No. 24 Arizona 3-2 in the McKale Memorial Center for their first win over a ranked opponent in program history.
Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Deaton has been the focal point of Samford's offense with 65 kills, including 15 against No. 24 Arizona, while sophomore middle blocker Briana Holmes and senior defensive specialist Grace Tiesman have held down the defense. Holmes leads the Bulldogs with 18 blocks, while Tiesman has compiled a team-high 46 digs.
UAB has built a commanding 26-3 lead in the all-time series over Samford. The Bulldogs claimed the last meeting of the two squads on Sept. 30, 2014 in a five setter, 3-2.
Up Next:
The Blazers' next competition will be at home as they host the Blazer Invitational on Sept. 12-14 in Bartow Arena. Joining UAB in the field will be Alabama, Georgia State, ETSU and Alcorn State. The Blazers will kick off the tournament by taking on Alabama at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12, then face Alcorn State at noon and Georgia State at 7 p.m. before concluding the tournament with ETSU at 7 p.m. on Sept. 14. UAB games will be streamed and have live stats provided with individual links located on the UAB volleyball schedule page.
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).
UAB will begin with Jacksonville State at 5 p.m. on Friday, followed by two Saturday matches. The Blazers will begin the day with North Alabama at 10 a.m. and wrap up the tournament with host Samford at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free for fans interested in attending. For those supporting off site, a live stream for each match will be provided on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available on StatBroadcast. Specific links for each contest are located on the UAB volleyball schedule page.
UAB this season:
UAB (1-2) earned its first win of the season last Tuesday in its home opener as the Blazers swept defending SWAC Champion and previous winner of 16 straight regular season matches Alabama State. The Blazers previously dropped a pair of tightly contested matches to Ball State and USF in the Ball State Tournament.
Individually, redshirt freshman Fernanda Maida has spearheaded the UAB attack with a team-high 38 kills and four service aces through her first three collegiate matches. The Cochabamba, Bolivia, native most recently piled up 12 kills, including a service ace, for a .550 hitting percentage to go with her six digs to lead the Blazers over Alabama State.
A pair of UAB true freshman has also stepped up this season. Rachel Morse currently leads the squad from the setter position with 69 set assists, while Kiana Mack leads the team in blocks with eight and has the third-most kills on the team with 24 to date. Mack also previously picked up All-Tournament honors for her performance at the Ball State Tournament a week ago.
Scouting the Gamecocks:
Jacksonville State (1-2) hosted the Jax State Invitational to kick off its season, dropping a pair of matches to ETSU and Troy before picking up its first win this year in a sweep of Southeastern Louisiana.
Offensively, the Gamecocks are led by sophomore outside hitter Lena Kindermann with 41 kills. The Neuenkirchen, Germany, native also has seven blocks, but Jacksonville State's defense is anchored by middle blocker/outside hitter Kaylee Frear with 11 blocks. The senior has also contributed on the offensive side with 28 kills, the third-best mark for the Gamecocks.
The last time the two sides met on Sept. 10, 2016, Jacksonville State came out on top, 3-1. In the all-time series though, UAB currently holds a 13-10 lead.
Scouting the Lions:
North Alabama (1-2) opened its season with a win over host Belmont in the Belmont Bruiser Showcase, but was swept by Arkansas State and Milwaukee to follow.
The Lions have been led offensively by a true freshman in outside hitter Alyssa Dutton with 30 kills this season to go with her 30 digs, which rank second on the team. North Alabama's defense is led by two Sullivans (unrelated) as freshman middle blocker Maggie has a team-high 10 blocks while sophomore libero Mackenzie leads the Lions with 45 digs. North Alabama leads the all-time series, 8-3.
Scouting the Bulldogs:
Samford (1-2) traveled to Tucson, Ariz. to compete in the Arizona Invitational to open its season. As all three matches were decided in the fifth set, the Bulldogs dropped their first two matches to Loyola Marymount and Appalachian State before stunning No. 24 Arizona 3-2 in the McKale Memorial Center for their first win over a ranked opponent in program history.
Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Deaton has been the focal point of Samford's offense with 65 kills, including 15 against No. 24 Arizona, while sophomore middle blocker Briana Holmes and senior defensive specialist Grace Tiesman have held down the defense. Holmes leads the Bulldogs with 18 blocks, while Tiesman has compiled a team-high 46 digs.
UAB has built a commanding 26-3 lead in the all-time series over Samford. The Bulldogs claimed the last meeting of the two squads on Sept. 30, 2014 in a five setter, 3-2.
Up Next:
The Blazers' next competition will be at home as they host the Blazer Invitational on Sept. 12-14 in Bartow Arena. Joining UAB in the field will be Alabama, Georgia State, ETSU and Alcorn State. The Blazers will kick off the tournament by taking on Alabama at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12, then face Alcorn State at noon and Georgia State at 7 p.m. before concluding the tournament with ETSU at 7 p.m. on Sept. 14. UAB games will be streamed and have live stats provided with individual links located on the UAB volleyball schedule page.
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).
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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