The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Furman
Furman Edges Volleyball In Five
8/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 25, 2012
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. ---- A late comeback in the fourth set to force a fifth and deciding frame did not prove to be enough as the UAB volleyball team was clipped by Furman, 3-2 (23-25, 32-30, 16-25, 25-23, 10-15) on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Memorial Gym.
The match between UAB (1-3) and Furman (2-1) featured 41 total ties and 15 lead changes and concluded the opening weekend for the Blazers at the Blue Raider Bash hosted by Middle Tennessee.
“We are disappointed we didn’t play better as a team, but we played three teams that I think will win 20-or-more games this year,” head coach Kerry Messersmith said. “It was tough that we didn’t fare better over the weekend and we have a lot of work has to be done.”
Libero Rachel Fairbanks, who averaged an impressive 5.29 digs per set for the weekend, bested her previous career-high in digs set on Friday (30 vs. UTSA) with 31 vs. the Paladins. Fairbanks is the first player in the last 10 seasons of UAB volleyball to post two matches of 30-or-more digs in a single season.
“Throughout the weekend we had some great individual performances, but are still a long ways away from performing well as a team,” Messersmith said. “Coming into the season, the libero position was our biggest question and Rachel (Fairbanks) had two matched with 30-plus digs and did a great job for us.”
Offensively, Michele Simmons and Kiriana Hirini each slammed down 13 kills. The kill total for Hirini surpassed a career-best mark, which she has posted earlier in the day vs. UC Davis, while Simmons tied a personal-best kill total herself.
Down 2-1 in the match, UAB fell behind 21-19 in the fourth set. A kill from Kirsten Gallagher and three attacking errors from the Paladins gave the Blazers a one-point edge. Hirini sent the match to a fifth set when she put away a ball, set up by setter Becca Howard.
In the fifth frame, which was the second five-set match in as many days for the Blazers, UAB fell behind 10-4. A 6-2 run put the Green and Gold within two, 12-10, but Furman scored the next three points to claim the back-and-forth battle.
Setter Alison Woods added a double-double, dishing out 30 assists and corralling 10 digs, her third double-double in four matches during the weekend.
Furman’s Natalie Braun recorded a 20-20 outing with 21 kills, 22 digs and added four service aces and two block assists.
“We have to learn from this weekend, our upperclassmen need to step up and we will back to work on Monday,” Messersmith said.
UAB is back on the court on Friday, Aug. 31 in South Bend, Ind. to take part in the Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational. The tournament field features the Fighting Irish, Eastern Kentucky and Buffalo.
