The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Set For Three Matches At Jacksonville State
9/4/2008 12:00:00β―AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 4, 2008
PDF Match Notes (UAB at Gamecock Invitational)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB volleyball team hits the road again this weekend for three matches at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites/Hampton Inn & Suites Gamecock Invitational hosted by Jacksonville State.
UAB opens play Friday with a pair of matches. The Blazers battle Ole Miss at 1 p.m. CT before facing Creighton at 5 p.m. CT. UAB then closes the tournament Saturday with a 2 p.m. CT contest against host Jacksonville State.
"This is going to be another very competitive tournament for us," UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "Jacksonville State has a good volleyball tradition, and Ole Miss and Creighton are very strong teams. This weekend will be another good test for our program."
Fans can follow the Blazers online through the Gamecock Invitational Headquarters page at the official Web site of Jacksonville State athletics. The page contains free live stats as well as a link to live video, which can be accessed for a fee.
This weekend's event marks the second of three straight weekends away from home to open the season for UAB. The Blazers will look to rebound from an 0-2 start to the season at last weekend's Aquafina Invitational hosted by Florida. UAB dropped the season opener to the eighth-ranked Gators and then fell the next night to Western Michigan.
"We feel good about the way we've practiced this week," Messersmith said. "The girls have been enthusiastic, and we've been working hard. Hopefully, we will be back to our normal selves this weekend."
Junior outside hitter Savannah Pegg turned in a solid performance last weekend in her first two matches as a Blazer. The Middle Tennessee transfer posted 11 kills in the opener against Florida and added 10 more versus Western Michigan on her way to all-tournament team honors.
Pegg and the Blazers face a tough Ole Miss team in their first match Friday. The Rebels are coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2006 and 2007. This season, Ole Miss is off to a 2-1 start with wins over Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Illinois State and a loss to then-No. 18 Iowa State.
In Friday's second match, Creighton also offers a strong test. The Bluejays enter the weekend at 1-3, but two of their losses have come to ranked teams in Minnesota and LSU. The third loss came to an Iowa State team that started the season in the top 25.
The host Gamecocks enter their invitational at 2-2 after posting back-to-back wins over Evansville and Auburn. Jacksonville State boasts the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Setter of the Week in Brooke Schumacher, who owns 155 assists through four matches.
UAB and Jacksonville State have met 18 times in the series with the Blazers winning 11. The Gamecocks, though, won the most recent meeting in 2003. Mississippi leads 3-0 in the all-time series with UAB, while the Blazers will meet Creighton for the first time in program history this weekend.
