Blazers Stave off Late Push to Top Jacksonville State

Friday, September 6

Homewood, Ala.

5 p.m.

UAB

2-2

Jacksonville State

1-3

Jacksonville State

UAB

Blazers Stave off Late Push to Top Jacksonville State

9/6/2019 10:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Season Stats Box Score

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB volleyball team opened the Samford Invitational with a win, downing Jacksonville State 3-1 at the Pete Hanna Center on Friday. The Blazers had to earn their second straight win of the season as the Gamecocks forced overtime in the third and fourth sets after UAB took care of business in the first two sets.

"I'm proud of our resiliency," said coach Amy Pauly. "JSU was a great team, and they really put some pressure on us. Us coming out with a win just showed that we made steps from last weekend."

Player Spotlight
Junior Abby Carlile spearheaded UAB's attack, piling up a season high 18 kills with a .469 hitting percentage and rounding out her performance with five digs and four blocks. The Southlake, Texas, native's kill total was the most by any Blazer since she racked up 22 kills against Louisiana Tech last season. Redshirt freshman Fernanda Maida finished the match just behind Carlile with 16 kills, bringing her season total to a team high 54.

"Abby showed me that she has the potential to put the team on her back through pressure situations," said Pauly. "We're going to lean on her throughout the year, and I'm glad she is finding more confidence."

How It Happened
The first set was a battle of runs as the two sides traded blows throughout. UAB gained its edge with a four-point run to take a 15-12 lead over the Gamecocks. The Blazers never lost the lead beyond that, finishing with three straight points to take the set, 25-19.

UAB cruised through the second set, jumping ahead 11-2 early and staying full throttle throughout the rest of the set. Jacksonville State was unable to climb back into contention as UAB clinched the set, 25-15.

The match tightened up in the third set as Jacksonville State came out with a vengeance. After the Gamecocks built an early lead, the Blazers chipped away at it throughout the set. Jacksonville State didn't surrender the lead until UAB climbed on top, 17-16, but the Gamecocks jumped slightly ahead beyond that for the remainder of the set to win it, 26-24.

The fourth set mirrored the third set initially as Jacksonville State again took an early lead. The two sides traded jabs in this one though, resulting in multiple lead changes. The scoring margin never exceeded four as the match was knotted at 25 all. With the match on the line, both sides exchanged points before UAB strung together three straight points from redshirt junior Emma Mitchell and Maida to win the set, 30-28, and clinch the match, 3-1.

Up Next
The Blazers (2-2) will continue their action in the Samford Invitational on Saturday, facing North Alabama at 10 a.m. and wrapping up the tournament with host Samford at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and have live stats provided. Links are available 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).