The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB to Play UCLA in NCAA First Round on Friday
11/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 29, 2006
Match Notes
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB volleyball team will play in its first-ever NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship when it takes on #4 UCLA in Pauley Pavilion on Fri., Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. PT. in Los Angeles, Calif. The Blazers earned the right to compete in the championship after winning the program's first-ever Conference USA Tournament title on Nov. 19 by overcoming a 2-0 deficit to beat Memphis, 3-2.
The winner of the UAB/UCLA match will square off against the victor of the Utah/Michigan State match that will take place prior to the Blazers and Bruins showdown. The winners will play on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT to determine who will advance to the `Sweet 16' in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
UCLA will be just the second Pac-10 school the Blazers have ever faced after losing to Arizona, at the New Mexico Tournament, 3-0, in 1993.
UAB, 27-9 (10-6 C-USA), is riding one of the nation's longest winning streaks into the tournament at 13-straight wins. The Blazers have not lost since Oct. 15 and hold an impressive 11-2 record at neutral sites this season.
Surely the Blazers are playing with confidence given their current win streak that includes a run of four-straight triumphs to capture the C-USA Tournament crown to become just the second team in tournament history to win four matches en route to the title.
Twenty-seven times the Blazers have found themselves on the winning end this season to mark the highest single-season win total since UAB's 1991 team posted a school record 33 wins.
A program that finished 1-24 just two seasons ago, UAB has been led by a Californian who remains from that 2004 squad. Junior libero Brianna Galvin originates from San Carlos, Calif. and has set the UAB single-season record for digs with 580 this year. In addition, Galvin also set the Conference USA Tournament record for digs with 83 in four matches.
UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith has masterminded the turnaround at UAB. After taking over the post on Dec. 23, 2005, Messersmith has used her ability to motivate and bring a team together to not only win a conference title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, but she also recently earned her 500th career coaching victory in the team's C-USA Tournament semifinal victory against top-seeded Tulsa.
Sophomore outside hitter Ivana Bozic has led the Blazers' offensive production this season with 644 kills, the third-highest single-season total in school history. Sophomore setter Nevena Stefanov has ran the offense brilliantly this season as she stands second in Conference USA with an assists per game average of 12.71.
Junior outside hitter Fernanda Domingos was recently named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year and for good reason. Domingos is averaging 3.19 kills per game this season, while hitting .281.
Sophomore middle blocker Casey Dent leads the team in blocks with 96 and owns the best hitting percentage on the team and fourth best in Conference USA at .349. UAB is 20-1 this season when Dent hits .300 or better.
UCLA, 29-3 (9-1 Pac-10), presents a strong challenge for the Blazers as the Bruins have established themselves as an elite blocking team. Averaging 3.5 blocks per game, UCLA has more than 100 blocks than their counterparts this season. Nana Meriwether leads the team in that category with a mark of 1.94 per game, while also leading the team in kills at 4.06 per game.
UAB and UCLA will get underway at approximately 8 p.m. PT on Friday. Fans can follow the match on Gametracker by logging on to UABsports.com or listen in by logging on to UCLABruins.com.
