The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Jackson State
Volleyball Arrives in Bartow Arena for Home Opening Matches
8/31/2022 12:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB Volleyball team (1-2, 0-0 C-USA) returns from Buffalo to Bartow Arena, kicking off their first set of home matches this weekend against Jackson State on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m., Little Rock the following day at 5 p.m. and Samford on Sept. 4 at 2 p.m.
The Blazers celebrate Heroes Night in their Saturday Matchup against Little Rock, and invite BlockOut Academy to their Sunday afternoon matchup against Samford. UAB will also be providing autograph sessions after each match following player cool-downs.
UAB (1-2) vs. Jackson State (1-2)
Sept. 2 | 7 p.m. | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
WATCH | LIVE STATS
UAB (1-2) vs. Little Rock (1-2)
Sept. 3 | 5 p.m. | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
WATCH | LIVE STATS
UAB (1-2) vs. Samford (0-3)
Sept. 4 | 2 p.m. | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
WATCH | LIVE STATS
JACKSON STATE 2021 REVIEW
Overall: 17-14 | Home: 5-1 | Away: 4-4 | Neutral: 8-9 | Streak: L2
SCOUTING THE TIGERS:
JSU comes off a battle tested season in 2021, where they met with the likes of Auburn, Mississippi State and Stephen F. Austin. The Tigers finished over .500 and cruised through the SWAC before meeting with the eventual 2021 SWAC Champion FAMU Rattlers.
The Tigers ranked third in hitting with a percentage of .208, and first in aces with 1.99 per set. Their impact in aces can be attributed to Alexis Williams, who led in the stat for the season with 47 in 2021. Williams also contributed with kills, totaling 427 for the Tigers.
JSU's strength of schedule from the previous season will prove to be a favorable matchup. The meeting will also pose as a preview of what is to come for the Blazers' upcoming match this season against SWAC champion, FAMU.
LITTLE ROCK 2021 REVIEW
Overall: 14-15 | Home: 1-6 | Away: 7-6 | Neutral: 6-3 | Streak: L5
SCOUTING THE TROJANS:
Little Rock navigated their beginning of the season on a high note with a win over Arkansas to start their 2021 campaign. The Trojans continued their momentum throughout the season before hitting a five-loss skid at the end of their season in conference play.
Little Rock, who finished sixth in the Sun Belt, welcomed nine freshmen to their 2022 roster. Sophomore, Laure Jansen ranked second in kills with 216 overall and averaging 3.77 kills per set. Jansen also tallied a 20-kill, 20-dig match last season in the Trojans' win over Arkansas.
SAMFORD 2021 REVIEW
Overall: 11-18 | Home: 9-4 | Away: 1-10 | Neutral: 1-4 | Streak: L1
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:
Samford and UAB have met a total of 30 times, with the Blazers taking the reins over the Bulldogs 26 wins to four losses. The longest win-streak lasted from 1984 to 2000. The most recent meeting, however, resulted in a 1-3 loss in 2019.
Samford finished the season under .500, but had plenty of opportunities to take on high profile teams such as Alabama, LSU, Clemson, and Ole Miss. The Bulldogs finished 9-7 in SoCon, ranking third in service aces with 1.67 per set. Samford's Lauren Deaton sits at the top of the leaderboard in kills, averaging 4.11 per set in 2021.
Deaton is one of five seniors on the Bulldog roster, with Samford welcoming five freshmen to their lineup. Freshman Greer Golden, a Mountain Brook native, joins the Bulldogs coming off an MVP season at th 6A Alabama State Tournament partnered with an All-State Tournament Honor.
QUOTE FROM BETSY FREEBURG
"We are looking forward to opening up the season in Bartow Arena this Friday, and have a great weekend of volleyball ahead of us. This preseason we have already been tested through playing multiple 5 set matches, and had the chance to learn from those opportunities and get better this week. Jackson State, UALR and Samford are all programs who had success, and we look forward to competing in front of our home fans."
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