The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Tulane
Sand Volleyball Captures First Program Victory
3/10/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball
March 10, 2012
SLIDELL, La. ---- The UAB sand volleyball team notched its first victory in program history with a 5-0 sweep of the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday afternoon at the Coconut Beach Volleyball Courts at the Dock of Slidell.
“It was great to get the victory and a lot of fun today,” head coach Hal Messersmith said. “It was a new experience for us playing at different courts other than our own. We were at the beach and there was some wind and it was a little cool and they had a different set up with the courts than we do.”
UAB evened up its record to 1-1 on the season, while Tulane dropped to 0-2.
Each of the five pairs all claimed victories, with four of the wins coming in straight sets.
The No. 1 duo of Sam Serley and Alison Woods played lights out, cruising through their match, winning by scores of 21-11 and 21-8.
After dropping the first set of their match, 21-16, Kirsten Gallagher and Heather Thomas answered by claiming the next two sets with relative ease, 21-13, 15-9 in the No. 2 doubles matchup against Tulane’s Nikki Osuna and Milema Dragovic.
The Blazers swept the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 matches, 2-0, with each set being won by at least three points.
“All our pairs played great today. Alison (Woods) and Sam (Serley) dominated for the most part and all the girls had their moments. Heather (Thomas) and Kirsten (Gallagher) struggled with serving in the first set, but bounced back nicely to win the next two,” Messersmith said.
The Blazers are back in the sand on March 21, with a trip to Macon, Ga. to take on Mercer. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
FINAL RESULTS
No. 1 Sam Serley/Alison Woods (UAB) def. Cori Martone/Grace Weaver (TU), 21-11, 21-8
No. 2 Kirsten Gallagher/Heather Thomas (UAB) def. Nikki Osuna/Milema Dragovic (TU), 16-21, 21-13, 15-9
No. 3 Rachel Fairbanks/Kiriana Hirini (UAB) def. Anna Wruck/Lilly Wolfe (TU), 21-14, 21-18
No. 4 Kate Morrell/Ally Slaughter (UAB) def. Olivia Utt/Azarri Badawi (TU), 21-18, 21-10
No. 5 Becca Howard/Michele Simmons (UAB) def. Milica Jovic/Shefali Arora (TU), 21-14, 21-19
Order Of Finish: 4,5,2,1,3
