The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Ole Miss
Volleyball Falls To Ole Miss, 3-0
9/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Tournament Central Page
OXFORD, Miss. - The UAB volleyball team fell to Ole Miss, 3-0, on Thursday night in the first of three matches at the Magnolia Invitational. The Blazers will play Jacksonville State and Mercer tomorrow in Oxford, Miss.
UAB (2-6) had seven different players record kills, led by senior Sara Rishell and junior Sydney Nelson with eight each. Ole Miss (7-0) was led by Ty Laporte, who had nine kills, as the Rebels hit .294 on the night.
Sophomore Amber Treace dished out 20 assists for the Blazers hitting core, who tallied a .152 attack percentage. Rishell had just one error on 17 attempts to hit a clip of .412.
Defensively, UAB had 5.0 total blocks against the Rebels. Senior Leslie Ekpe, who has been strong at the net all season, recorded a team-high four blocks. Freshman Alexis Howell picked up 14 digs, while senior Bethanie Thomas and Treace each added seven.
The Blazers were trailing Ole Miss 11-5 early in the first set, but after a timeout the team responded and fought its way back into the set. UAB cut the lead to three, 20-17, and forced an Ole Miss timeout. Two-straight points for the Blazers made it a 20-19 match, but the Rebels used a 5-0 to close out the first set with a 25-19 win.
In the second set, Ole Miss jumped out quickly with a 9-2 run to take a 12-5 lead. The Blazers put together a 3-0 run with kills by Nelson and freshman Haley Jared and an ace from freshman Gabbi Moreno to cut the lead to seven, 19-12. However UAB was unable to overcome the early deficit, as the Rebels won the second set, 25-15.
UAB will conclude play in the Magnolia Invitational on Friday, Sept. 12. The Blazers are slated to play Jacksonville State at 10 a.m. CT, and then take on Mercer at 4 p.m. CT.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For volleyball news, follow @UAB_VB.
