The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Volleyball Hosts Fight Like Hal Memorial Tournament
9/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
UAB (4-8) vs. UMass Lowell (1-10)
Friday, September 18 - 2 p.m. CT | Birmingham, Ala. - Bartow Arena
Game Coverage: Twitter | Live Stats | Live Streaming
UAB (4-8) vs. Ole Miss (11-1)
Friday, September 18 - 6 p.m. CT | Birmingham, Ala. - Bartow Arena
Game Coverage: Twitter | Live Stats | Live Streaming
UAB (4-8) vs. Mississippi Valley State (1-8)
Saturday, September 19 - 10 a.m. CT | Birmingham, Ala. - Bartow Arena
Game Coverage: Twitter | Live Stats | Live Streaming
UAB (4-8) vs. Jacksonville State (5-7)
Saturday, September 19 - 4 p.m. CT | Birmingham, Ala. - Bartow Arena
Game Coverage: Twitter | Live Stats | Live Streaming
Tournament Notes: UAB
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In the final tournament action of the season, the UAB volleyball team hosts the inaugural Fight Like Hal Memorial Tournament Friday and Saturday at Bartow Arena.
The tournament serves to honor long-time assistant volleyball coach Hal Messersmith, who lost his battle to cancer in 2013.
The five-team tournament features UMass Lowell, Ole Miss, Mississippi Valley State and Jacksonville State.
UAB opens the tournament on Friday with a 2 p.m. CT meeting with UMass Lowell before capping the first day of action with Ole Miss at 6 p.m. CT.
On Saturday, the Blazers will face Mississippi Valley State at 10 a.m. before closing the tournament with Jacksonville State at 4 p.m. CT.
Live stats and video streaming will be available for all of UAB matches on UABSports.com and may be accessed in the links above. Live stats for non-UAB matches may be accessed at our tournament central
In-match updates for all matches will be provided on the UAB volleyball team's Twitter page.
For the full tournament schedule and more, visit our tournament central
Tournament Promotions
In partnership with the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Blazers will honor their late assistant coach throughout the weekend with all proceeds collected throughout the tournament benefitting the Coach Gene Bartow Fund for Cancer Research. To make a donation, click here.
The Blazers' Friday match with Ole Miss has been designated as the Fight Like Hal Cancer Awareness match with the first 250 fans in attendance receiving a Fight Like Hal t-shirt.
UAB will also host a poster signing at the conclusion of Saturday's match versus Jacksonville State.
UAB Notes
Series History
The Blazers have faced three of the four tournament teams in past seasons with winning records over two programs.
UAB is a combined 5-1 over Jacksonville State (4-1) and Mississippi Valley State (1-0) with the lone loss coming against the Gamecocks. Ole Miss leads the all-time series with a 3-1 advantage over the Blazers.
Friday's contest with UMass Lowell will be the first in program history. The Blazers are currently 3-1 against first-time opponents in 2015 with victories over Marist, Texas
Scouting the Opposition
UMass Lowell
The River Hawks had a rough start to the 2015 season by dropping the first 10 matches of the year. UMass Lowell enters Friday's match coming off its first win of the season, defeating Quinnipiac, 3-2, to close the UMass Lowell Invitational.
Haley Shimon leads UMass Lowell with 85 kills to average 2.07 per set. Alexa Toth sets up the River Hawk offense and has recorded 152 assists over the season. Defensively, Lindsey Visvardis paces the way for
Ole Miss
The Rebels have started
With 93 kills, Clair Nakeyta is the Rebels' offensive leader. Nakeyta hits a team-high .452 clip while also adding seven assists and 21 blocks for Ole Miss. Defensively, Ole Miss is led by Kristen Brashear with 102 digs for a 3.40 digs per set average.
Mississippi Valley State
The Delta Devils enter the weekend's contest with a 1-8 overall record. After dropping the first eight matches of the season, Mississippi Valley State picked up its first win on Tuesday, defeating Tougaloo College, 3-2.
Halle Gayten has recorded a team-leading 71 kills for the Delta
Jacksonville State
The Gamecocks enter the tournament with a 5-7 overall record. JSU broke a five-game losing streak on Wednesday evening when the Gamecocks topped Jackson State, 3-2.
Emily Rutherford leads the offense with 102 kills for a .228 clip. Rutherford has added three assists, six service aces and eight blocks for the Gamecocks. Hannah Kirk is the defensive leader for JSU with 149 digs for a 4.38 per set average. Kirk has garnered 35 assists and three service aces over the season.
Deshotel's Dominant Start
Outside hitter Gabby Deshotel has dominated early in her junior campaign. Deshotel has recorded double-digit kills in 10 of the 12 matches to open the season while recording 20 or more kills in four matches. The junior has also recorded four double-doubles for the Blazers.
Deshotel has already posted career-high numbers in kills (26), attacks (74), attack percentage (.586), assists (2), blocks (7) and digs (14) in matches this season. The outside hitter ranks third in the conference in points (5.25 per set) and in kills (4.64 per set). With 204 kills thus far in 2015, Deshotel is more than halfway from topping her 2014 season total of 319.
For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_VB). For more on all
