The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Volleyball Set To Play In Magnolia Invitational
9/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Tournament Central Page
UAB (2-5) at Ole Miss (7-0)
Thursday, Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. CT
Oxford, Miss. – Gillom Sports Center
Coverage: Live Stats | Watch
UAB (2-5) vs. Jacksonville State (2-5)
Friday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. CT
Oxford, Miss. – Gillom Sports Center
Coverage: Live Stats
UAB (2-5) vs. Mercer (3-3)
Friday, Sept. 12 at 4 p.m. CT
Oxford, Miss. – Gillom Sports Center
Coverage: Live Stats
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB volleyball team will have a quick turnaround after a mid-week match as it heads to the Magnolia Invitational hosted by Ole Miss. The Blazers will play Ole Miss at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Sept. 11, then take on Jacksonville State at 10 a.m. and Mercer at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12.
UAB (2-5) is coming off a tough 3-2 loss to Chattanooga on Tuesday night. The Blazers were led by junior Sydney Nelson, who had a career-high 20 kills in the match. Senior Bethanie Thomas recorded her first double-double of the season, with 14 kills and 12 digs.
The first match between UAB and Ole Miss will be streamed live on the SEC Network+ here.
Notes
Series History
This will be the first meeting for UAB and Ole Miss. It is the fourth team this season that the Blazers have never faced before.
UAB and Jacksonville State are meeting for the 21st time in the series. The two teams most recently met in the 2013 season at the UAB/Samford Tournament. The Blazers earned a 3-1 win over the Gamecocks at home on Aug. 31.
Mercer also appeared in last year’s UAB/Samford Tournament. The Blazers and the Bears played in the 2013 season opening match on Aug. 30. UAB took the win, 3-0.
Scouting the Opposition
Ole Miss (7-0) enters this weekend undefeated on the 2014 season. The Rebels most recently won the Memphis Invitational after defeating Memphis, 3-2, Arkansas State, 3-1 and Tennessee-Martin, 3-1. Nakeyta Clair leads the team with 97 kills, averaging 3.88 kills per set. She is also hitting at a clip of .425 for the season. Setter Aubry Edie is dishing out 11.92 assists per set, while Ty Laporte is leading the defense with 1.12 blocks per set
Jacksonville State (2-5) finished 2-1 in the Troy Invitational, recording wins over Alabama A&M, 3-0, and Mercer, 3-0. The Gamecocks’ only loss came to tournament-host Troy, 3-1. Emily Rutherford leads the team with 65 kills (2.83/set), while Nicole Merget has added 62 kills and has a team-best 21 blocks.
Mercer (3-3) also competed in the Troy Invitational and finished 1-2. The Bears defeated Alabama A&M, 3-0, but fell to Troy, 3-2, and Jacksonville State, 3-0. Molly Locke is leading the Bears’ offense with 75 kills to average 3.57 per set. Defensively, Tori Penrod has recorded 103 digs to average 4.90 per set. Cara Tripp and Jordan Gollon lead the blockers with .85 and .87 blocks per set, respectively.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For volleyball news, follow @UAB_VB.
