The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Marshall
UAB Avenges Previous Loss To Marshall With 3-0 Sweep
11/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 12, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB volleyball team defeated Marshall, 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-16), on Thursday night at Bartow Arena, less than a week after suffering a three-set loss to the Thundering Herd on the road.
Andrea Lalic led all players with 14 kills, while setter Alison Woods notched her 10th double-double of the season with 29 assists and 14 digs.
The Blazers hit for a .288 percentage in the match compared to .131 for Marshall. UAB totaled eight blocks, and the Thundering Herd had 24 attack errors over the three sets compared to just seven for UAB.
"Our offense came around tonight, and we took care of the ball well," UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "We did a good job of making some adjustments when we needed to, and I like the way we bounced back after losing to Marshall last week."
With the win, UAB improved to 16-15 (8-7 C-USA), while Marshall fell to 21-8 (9-6 C-USA). The Blazers have now won four of the past five meetings between the teams dating back to last year.
UAB closes out the regular season Saturday at 7 p.m. when the Blazers host Memphis at Bartow Arena. The match will serve as Senior Night as the team honors Lalic, Savannah Pegg and Patty Paniagua along with graduating junior Aley Tallman.
"Tonight's win was a real positive for us as we continue to build toward the conference tournament," Messersmith said. "We'll try to keep some momentum going against Memphis, although they are a talented team despite their record. They are one of the most athletic teams in our conference."
In Thursday's match, both teams turned in their best offensive performances in the first set. Marshall hit .378 in the opening frame, only to be out-done by UAB's .486 performance. Lalic tallied seven of her kills and Woods managed 15 of her assists in the frame as UAB took a 1-0 lead.
The second set was more about defense. The Blazers posted four total blocks in the set and held Marshall to a .075 attack percentage. Paniagua was a part of all four blocks on her way to a match-best five blocks on the evening. After dropping the first point, UAB jumped out to a 6-2 lead and never trailed again.
In the third set, UAB held Marshall to its lowest hitting percentage of the night at -.022. The Thundering Herd committed 10 errors and recorded only nine kills, while UAB managed 12 kills and just two errors. UAB led from the start and, after its lead was cut to 19-15, closed the match by winning six of the final seven points.
Elizabeth Herman topped Marshall with 10 kills, while Kristin Marcum and Ryanne Milligan led the team's defensive effort with 16 digs each. Thundering Herd setter Elizabeth Fleming finished with a match-best 33 assists.
