The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
New Orleans
Blazers Drop Matches Saturday To New Orleans, Samford
9/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 19, 2009
Box Score: UAB vs. New Orleans | PDF Box Score 
Box Score: UAB vs. Samford | PDF Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The UAB volleyball team had its chances Saturday but wound up on the short end of two 3-1 decisions on the final day of the Tiger Invitational. The Blazers lost to New Orleans in the morning and fell to Samford in the afternoon.
UAB dropped to 7-7 on the year and wrapped up a string of 11 consecutive matches away from home. The Blazers will now return to Bartow Arena for three straight, starting with Tuesday's non-conference contest against Middle Tennessee at 7 p.m.
Middle blocker Sam Serley, who was named to the all-tournament team, was the top performer Saturday for UAB. The freshman posted 27 total kills in the two matches combined while also leading the Blazers with a .383 attack percentage and 10 blocks on the day. Fellow middle blocker Michelle Uzoh hit .361 for the day and managed seven total blocks.
"We're getting everything we could possibly ask out of our middles right now, both offensively and defensively," UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "They're really carrying us, but we have to get more production from the outside and right side.
"We just made too many errors today. We had leads in a bunch of sets and made too many mistakes that allowed our opponents come back."
New Orleans 3, UAB 1
After winning the first set Saturday morning, the UAB volleyball team fell, 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-23), to New Orleans in the first match of day two at the Tiger Invitational.
Serley led UAB offensively with 13 kills, while Heather Thomas topped the team defensively with 17 digs. Setter Alison Woods recorded 42 assists in the loss.
For New Orleans (6-5), attacker Maria Szivos finished with a match-high 16 kills, and Edina Dobi added 12. Three New Orleans players finished in double-figure digs, led by Nicky Valenti with 24. The Privateers finished with 79 digs as a team to 58 for UAB.
After dropping the second set to even the match, UAB gave itself chances to win both the third and fourth frames, but the Blazers saw big leads evaporate in both.
In the third set, UAB jumped out to an 11-3 lead only to watch New Orleans rattle of eight straight points to tie the score. From there the teams played even until 23-23. The Privateers then scored two straight points on a Szivos kill and a UAB error to grab a two-sets-to-one lead.
UAB held a 16-10 advantage in the fourth set, but New Orleans chipped away and eventually knotted the score at 23-23 again. Then a Vesna Jelic ace and a block from Szivos and Anett Farkas sealed the fourth for New Orleans, as well.
Kaley Hubbard led all players with nine blocks for New Orleans, while Jordan McDonald led the Blazers in blocks with seven.
Samford 3, UAB 1
Despite three players in double-figure kills Saturday afternoon, UAB suffered a 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 25-22) loss to Samford in the Blazers' final match at the Tiger Invitational.
For the fourth consecutive match, Serley led UAB in kills, this time with 14. Serley hit for a .375 percentage to lead a Blazer team that was out-hit, .211 to .150, in the contest. Savannah Pegg added 11 kills, while Michelle Uzoh posted a career-high with 10.
For Samford (6-5), it was another trio that led the offensive attack. Allie Bettinger, Elizabeth Neisler and Sheriden Stanghor tallied 19, 12 and 10 kills, respectively, in the Bulldogs' win. Setter Hillary Fountain handed out 50 assists in the four-setter.
UAB dropped the first two sets but bounced back to play its strongest set in the third. The Blazers hit .294 in the frame, and Uzoh put down six kills to lead the attack. UAB also recorded five of its 10 team blocks in the third set. Leading 23-22, the Blazers managed a kill from Uzoh and a block from Uzoh and Pegg to send the match to a fourth set.
Samford, though, controlled the fourth to close out the contest. The Bulldogs built a 24-19 lead before UAB fought off three match points. But a kill by Bettinger on the fourth match point secured the Samford win.
Defensively, Heather Thomas tallied 18 digs to lead UAB, and MacKenzie Wilson added 10. Samford's Alexis Bauer led all players with 28 digs as the Bulldogs out-dug the Blazers, 80-67.
