The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Florida Atlantic
Blazers Drop Match To Florida Atlantic, 3-0
10/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BOCA RATON, Fla. - The UAB volleyball team fell to Florida Atlantic, 3-0, in Boca Raton on Friday evening. The Blazers played their first of two Conference USA matches on the road this weekend.
UAB dropped to 4-14 on the season and 1-2 in conference play, while Florida Atlantic improved to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in C-USA. Eight different players recorded kills for the Blazers.
Junior Sydney Nelson led the team with eight kills. Senior Sara Rishell and sophomore Gabby Deshotel each recorded six kills, while seniors Bethanie Thomas and Kiriana Hirini added five apiece. Brittney Brown led Florida Atlantic with 17 kills.
Sophomore Amber Treace and freshman Gabbi Moreno split time at setter, Moreno dished out 18 assists and Treace had 12. UAB had its second-straight match with over 10 blocks, finishing with 11 against FAU. Rishell led the way with six and Hirini added five blocks.
The Blazers opened the first set with three-straight points, and then Florida Atlantic quickly countered with its own 4-0 run. The trend continued as UAB scored five of the next seven points to lead 8-6 in the set, but a 7-0 run for the Owls put the Blazers down 13-8. UAB cut the lead to 18-16 after a kill by Nelson, but Florida Atlantic was able to hold on for a 25-18 win.
Florida Atlantic jumped out to a 14-9 lead in the second set to force UAB to call a timeout. The Blazers would eventually cut the lead to as few as three points, but could not get any close as the Owls held on for a 25-17 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
UAB picked up its offensive intensity in the third set, hitting .375 and recording 16 kills. It was a tight set that saw 15 ties and five lead changes. Florida Atlantic was able to pull away with match point at 24-21. Deshotel put down a kill then an attack error on the Owls made it 24-23, but Florida Atlantic put the match away with a kill by Genesis Viera.
The Blazers will be back in action at FIU on Sunday, Oct. 5. The match is slated to begin at 12 p.m. CT.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For volleyball news, follow @UAB_VB.
