The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
-34,00 CUSA
Auburn
6-0,0-0SEC
UAB Volleyball Drops Match Against Auburn, 3-2
9/10/2022 8:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB Volleyball team (3-4, 0-0 C-USA) took on Auburn (6-0, SEC) on Friday in Bartow Arena, dropping the match in five sets, 3-2. The Blazers, who rallied back from a 2-1 deficit to change the momentum of the match pushed the Tigers to a deciding set.
"The match on Sunday was a great learning experience and a reminder that we really need to go back to fundamentals and hold our gym standards high," said head coach Betsy Freeburg. "We challenged our leadership to embrace that and think the whole team responded in unity tonight."
The Tigers started off with an early 2-0 lead over the Blazers, before UAB rallied back with a kill from Alex Kells to put them within one point of Auburn. The Blazers went on two 4-0 runs to push them ahead of the Tigers 16-12. UAB held the lead over Auburn for the duration of the first set, being held at set point for 8 points before a kill from Kelsey Smith closed out the first 25-22.
Sets two and three fell in the favor of the Tigers, taking early leads and holding on to the score to push them to an early 2-1 advantage. Auburn and UAB had a total of two and three lead changes in sets two and three respectively. An average of 8.5 errors per set in both sets would lead to a 25-22 and 25-18 win in back-to-back sets.
Set four was all Blazers, with UAB going on a 6-0 run to lead 8-2. The Blazers continued to hold onto their lead for the duration of the set. UAB had a total of 18 kills with efforts stemming from a series of kills from Maia Rackel and Alex Kells. Kells and Rackel combined for 13 kills total in the fourth set, helping the Blazers to a 25-23 win.
The deciding set fell in favor of Auburn, who took a 7-1 lead, forcing a timeout for the Blazers. Following the timeout, a kill from Fernanda Maida stopped the 6-0 run the Blazers were unable to keep up with the Tigers leading for the entirety of the fifth.
Despite the loss, stat leaders for the Blazers include Alex Kells who posted a career-high 23 kills and 20 digs. Kells led the Blazers in kills, while in digs, Chloe Rodriguez led the pack with 25.
QUOTES FROM BETSY FREEBURG
"We always say it's going to take all 17 of us to have success and opportunities like tonight to get these younger players will help us tremendously as we continue to grow as a team. The effort and energy were contagious, and tonight we looked like a team that was fighting hard for one another. Alex Kells played so tough and really set the tone with her effort."
"The crowd tonight was tremendous. There were a lot of long rallies that we ultimately ended up winning and it was special to hear the support from the crowd after big plays. We are working hard to continue to grow our fan base, and the crowd tonight did a great job having our backs!"
UP NEXT
The Blazers return to action Saturday against the North Florida Ospreys at 5 p.m. in Bartow Arena. UAB will be hosting SAAC Night and giving away free pizza for the first fans to enter the building.
Purchase the 2022-23 Gold Card for $65 here. The 2022-23 Gold Card will get you access to all home events for Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer, Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Softball, and Baseball (Regions Field & Young Memorial). This card is not valid for Conference USA or NCAA Championship events.
To keep up with the UAB Volleyball team, follow @UAB_VB on Instagram and Twitter.
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