The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Charlotte
Volleyball Falls To Charlotte, 3-0, In Conference Opener
9/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The UAB volleyball team fell to Charlotte, 3-0, in its first Conference USA match of the season on Friday evening. The Blazers will return home to host Louisiana Tech at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, Sept. 28.
UAB (3-12, 0-1 C-USA) was unable to stop Charlotte's (12-7, 1-1 C0USA) offensive attack, as the 49ers hit .440 on the match with 42 total kills. The Blazers hit just .131 with 28 kills.
Senior Sara Rishell led UAB with eight kills on the night. Sophomore Gabby Deshotel finished with seven kills and senior Bethanie Thomas added six kills. Sophomore Amber Treace ran the offense at setter, dishing out 22 helpers in the match.
The Blazers were strong at the net with six blocks on the night. Thomas and fellow senior Leslie Ekpe led with three blocks each. Rishell and Deshotel added two. Freshman Alexis Howell finished with six digs, with sophomore Ashlyn Sunseri adding four.
In the first set, UAB and Charlotte were tied early but the 49ers put together several runs to take the set 25-17. The second set remained close, with the Blazers within two at 15-12. Charlotte closed out the set strong with a 10-3 run to go up 2-0 at the break after winning 25-15.
UAB came out strong in the third set, jumping out to an 8-7 lead. A service error for the Blazers tied the set up at 8-8. Charlotte took advantage with a 6-0 to put UAB behind 14-8.
The Blazers kept fighting and were able to cut into the lead with a kill by Rishell followed by an ace from Thomas. However the deficit would be too much to overcome as UAB fell, 25-17 in the final set.
UAB will return home to host Louisiana Tech on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. CT. After the match all kids under-13 can participate in the free Youth Clinic.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For volleyball news, follow @UAB_VB.
