The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
-44,00 CUSA
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North Florida
1-6,0-0ASUN
Volleyball Downs the Ospreys in Straight-Set Victory
9/10/2022 9:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB Volleyball team (4-4, C-USA) defeated the University of North Florida Ospreys (1-6, 0-0 ASUN) in a straight-set win on Saturday in Bartow Arena.
The Blazers, who went into five sets on Friday night against Auburn, bounced back almost immediately, putting the team in the winning column once again and improving their home record to 3-2.
"Tonight's effort was poised, disciplined and patient. We stayed together and meticulously focused on the task at hand," said Head Coach Betsy Freeburg. "We did a great job focusing on individual roles and staying present in each moment. When UNF started to go on runs, we stayed together and trusted our system. When we had opportunities to score, we took advantage of them and executed at a really efficient level."
UAB started out with a consistent effort in the first, where the Blazers were able to rally back from an early UNF lead. The Ospreys stayed at least three points ahead of the Blazers, before UAB went on a 6-0 run to possess a score of 12-9 over North Florida. The lead tied only once more after this momentum shift before UAB took set one, 25-18.
The second set saw the Blazers burst into a quick advantage, holding their lead over the Ospreys before the score plateaued at 16-16. The Green and Gold went on to advance their lead from a series of kills from Chloe Rodriguez and Alex Kells. The Ospreys fell within three points of the Blazers but were unable to take the second set.
In the final set, the Blazers and Ospreys went back and forth before UNF took a 6-5 lead. The Blazers responded with a 3-0 run to take possession of the set and hold on to the lead for its entirety. UNF went on to have a series of errors, to put UAB on an 8-0 run. The Blazers only allowed North Florida to score two points for seven possessions before freshman Jay Collins closed out the set and match with a kill.
Despite the straight set win, the Blazers and Ospreys had a total of seven lead changes. UAB outperformed the Ospreys in five statistical categories, including kills, assists and digs. Stat leaders for the Blazers include Fernanda Maida with 16 kills, Lidya Canturk with 37 assists and Erin Powers with 19 digs.
UP NEXT
The Blazers return to action against the Troy Trojans on Sunday at 3PM in Bartow to finish their weekend tournament.
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.
