The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Alabama State
Volleyball Defeats Alabama State, 3-1 On Tuesday
11/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Final Stats | Box Score 
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Senior Bethanie Thomas led the UAB volleyball team with a season-high 16 kills in its 3-1 win over Alabama State in Tuesday night. The Blazers won their second consecutive mid-week match.
UAB (7-23, 3-11 C-USA) finished with a season-high .427 attack percentage and held Alabama State (12-17, 6-0 SWAC) to a .148 clip on the night. The Blazers also matched their season-best 56 kills in four-set matches.
Along with Thomas, three other players reached double figure kills for UAB. Sophomore Gabby Deshotel recorded 13 kills, while seniors Sara Rishell and Kiriana Hirini each added 10 kills.
Running the offense at setter for the Blazers was freshman Gabbi Moreno, who dished out 30 helpers and added two kills. UAB had a strong night at the net with 9.5 blocks. Thomas and Rishell paced the team with five each and Hirini tallied four.
The Blazers had to come back after falling behind 1-0 to the Hornets. UAB was leading Alabama State 16-12 in the first set, but the Hornets rallied to tie the set at 23-23 and went on to win the set, 25-23.
UAB responded in the second set, surging to a 14-6 lead to force Alabama State to calls its first timeout. The Blazers kept the pressure on, extending their lead to 18-7 as the Hornets called their second timeout of the set. UAB held on to take the set, 25-14, and tie the match at 1-1 heading into the break.
The momentum remained in UAB's favor as the Blazers jumped out to another early lead in the third set. Three-straight kills gave UAB an 18-12 advantage to force an Alabama State timeout. UAB closed out the set with a 7-2 run to win 25-14 and head into the fourth set up 2-1.
The two teams battled in the fourth set, with neither team leading by more than four points. Alabama State took its first lead at 17-16, but UAB put together a 3-0 run to go up 19-17 and force a Hornet timeout. The Blazers finished the set strong with four of the last five points to secure the match with a 25-21 win.
UAB will return home to conclude the regular season as it hosts Southern Miss on Friday and Marshall on Sunday. Friday's match will begin at 7 p.m. and has been designated as `Fight Like Hal' night.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For volleyball news, follow @UAB_VB.
