The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Volleyball On The Road At Residence Inn Challenge
9/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
UAB (2-1) vs. Idaho State (1-2)
Friday, Sept. 5 at 11 a.m. CT
Phoenix, Ariz.
UAB (2-1) at No. 17 Arizona State (3-0)
Friday, Sept. 5 at 3 p.m. CT
Phoenix, Ariz.
Coverage: Free Live Stream
UAB (2-1) vs. Iowa (2-1)
Saturday, Sept. 6 at 12 p.m. CT
Phoenix, Ariz.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB volleyball team will travel to Phoenix, Ariz. for its first road tournament of the 2014 season at the Residence Inn Challenge hosted by Arizona State. The Blazers will play three matches, taking on Idaho State and No. 17 Arizona State on Friday and Iowa on Saturday.
UAB (2-1) is coming off the UAB/Samford Tournament with wins over Southeastern Louisiana, 3-2, and Georgia State, 3-1. The Blazers' only loss was to No. 16 Michigan State, 3-0. Junior Sydney Nelson led the team over the weekend with 36 kills (3.00/s) and an attack percentage of .347.
Fans can follow all the action on thesundevils.com for live stats and the UAB match against No. 17 Arizona State will be streamed online free here.
UAB Notes
Ranked Opponents
For the second consecutive weekend the Blazers will take on a top-25 ranked opponent. This past weekend, UAB squared-off with then No. 16 Michigan State, falling 3-0 in the contest. Coming up, UAB will play tournament-host and No. 17 ranked Arizona State on Friday, Sept. 5.
Blocking Brigade
The UAB block party continues as the Blazers returned to their usual dominance at the net. UAB totaled 31 blocks over its last three matches to average 2.6 blocks per set. Senior Leslie Ekpe led the charge for the Green and Gold, averaging 1.25 blocks per set. She collected 15 total, while fellow senior Sara Rishell added 13 on the weekend.
Series History
UAB will face two of its three opponents for the first time this weekend. The Blazers have never played Idaho State or Arizona State in school history. Of the team's first six matches, three are against first-time opponents.
The Blazers will also play Iowa on Satuday, Sept. 6. It is just the second-time these two teams have met on the court in school history. The only other meeting came on Nov. 29, 1990, when the Hawkeyes took the win, 3-0.
Scouting the Opposition
Idaho State (1-2) opened its 2014 season at the Utah State Tournament this past weekend. The Bengals earned a win over St. Mary's College, 3-1, but fell to Utah State, 3-1, and Oregon State, 3-0. Tressa Lyman leads the team with 43 kills (3.91/set) and Hayley Farrer is guiding the offense with 10.73 assists per set. Defensively, Kylee Sessions is averaging a team-best 4.33 digs per set.
No. 17 Arizona State (3-0) is coming into the weekend after going undefeated in its first tournament of the 2014 season. The Sun Devils defeated San Diego State, 3-0, Hawaii, 3-0, and Ohio, 3-0, in Manoa, Hawaii. Macey Gardner is leading the team with 4.00 kills/set, recording 44 across three matches. Bianca Arellano is averaging 10.64 assists per set to run the offense and defensively, three players have at least 10 blocks so far on the season.
Iowa (2-1) dropped its first match of the season to Texas A&M, 3-0, but rebounded to win the next two over UTSA, 3-1, and Tulane, 3-0. Alex Lovell leads the Hawkeyes with 35 kills (3.50/set). They are also strong at the net, averaging 3.25 blocks/set as a team. Mikaela Gunderson leads the way with 19 blocks so far on the season.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For volleyball news, follow @UAB_VB.
