The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
WKU
Blazer Volleyball Opens Up Conference Play Against WKU
9/22/2022 2:10:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB Volleyball returns home to Bartow Arena after their road trip to take on No. 24 Western Kentucky on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. This matchup against the defending Conference Champions opens up the beginning of conference play in C-USA for the Blazers.
Head Coach Betsy Freeburg accepts that challenge. "We knew this stretch was going to be a challenge, and we're looking forward to building off the win over the 2021 SWAC Champion on the road. WKU has been and is a great volleyball program with a history of success," said Freeburg on the importance of opening up conference play against a team like the Hilltoppers at home. " Going into the match this weekend, we are focusing on being really good on our side of the court, and the team set an intention this week to focus on what we can control."
The Blazers came off a five-set thriller in Tallahassee, where they defeated FAMU, coming off a 2-1 deficit early in the match. They would split their Tallahassee series between a win on Sunday and a loss on Saturday against the Florida State Seminoles. They enter conference play 5-7 overall to the Hilltoppers 12-2 record.
UAB (4-7, 0-0 C-USA) vs. WKU (12-2, 0-0 C-USA)
Sept. 23 | 7 p.m. | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
WATCH | LIVE STATS
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
Western Kentucky comes off of a 2021 campaign littered with accolades. The Hilltoppers finished their last season with a 28-2 record, claiming their third consecutive Conference USA title after going undefeated in the league. They continued to the NCAA tournament, defeating South Carolina in a straight-set win, followed by a loss to then No. 13 ranked Georgia Tech.
The Hilltoppers enter the 2022 season with preseason honors slating them to win the league again. Last year's season saw five athletes gaining post-season honors, including Lauren Matthews, who won the Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for the conference. Matthews is ranked second in kills in the 2022 season with (number), only beat out by outside hitter Paige Briggs.
Briggs, who was named to the AVCA All-Region Team last season, averages a total of 13.5 kills per match for the Toppers. On the defensive, she tallies about 1.8 blocks per set. As a collective, the Hilltoppers are in the top five in two stat categories (Assists, Kills) and lead in two (Hitting Percentage, Blocks).
In the nearly four decades of competing against WKU, the Blazers lead the series with 22 wins to 15 losses. However, in the past five meetings between the Blazers and the Toppers, WKU has gained the upper hand, winning all five times, all in straight set wins.
QUOTES FROM COACH FREEBURG
"We are certainly battle tested. We knew this pre-season was going to be a challenge facing so many opponents who are past respective conference champions. Last weekend we had the chance to play in two different gyms back-to-back which will be very similar to this week playing at home on Friday and away on Sunday. We knew in non-conference we were going to have to battle every match and combining that mentality along with some additional recovery time between matches is going to pay off for us."
"For WKU, it is all about staying present. There is no doubt they are going to have some 'wow' moments, and when that happens, we just need to roll the ball back, focus on moving on to the next play and getting the side out. The great thing about volleyball is that no matter how impressive it is, each play only counts for one point, and each new serve is an opportunity to score another point."
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