The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
UTSA
Blazers Hot Start Not Enough to Beat UTSA
10/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Blazers came into the match hot and won the first set against UTSA (25-20) but dropped the last three (25-13, 25-18, 25-16) Friday night in Bartow Arena to give the Roadrunners the 3-1 match win.
Erika Zembyla led the Blazers’ offense and tied her career-high 19 kills for a team-high .500 attack percentage while also recording a solo block in the process. Amber Treace paced the offense with 35 kills and a .400 clip.
Haley Jared and Victoria Young each added six kills while Kenley Adams and Treace added five a piece. Defensively, Emily Martinez recorded a match-high 16 digs while Kassidy Sullivan, Treace and Zembyla all tallied at least one block.
The Blazers came out swinging in the first set and never gave up the lead and only tied twice. They pulled ahead 13-10 before UTSA called for its first timeout. Once back on the court, UAB pulled ahead 17-12 and the Roadrunners used their final timeout but it didn’t slow the Blazers down as they captured the 25-20 win.
UTSA was out for revenge in the second set as it jumped to an early 10-3 lead. The Blazers could never quite recover and the Roadrunners tied the match 1-1 with a 25-13 win. Much like the second set, UTSA pulled ahead early, 11-6, and continued to roll to a 25-18 victory.
The Blazers kept the Roadrunners on their toes midway through the fourth set and knotted the score at 10. UTSA wasn’t deterred, though, and cruised to a 25-16 win over the Blazers and won the match 3-1.
Kasey Keifer led the offensive charge with 16 kills for a .361 attack percentage and Marijeta Runjic was hot on her heels with 14 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Emily Ramirez and Antonela Jularic each recorded 10 digs and Tessa Dahnert tallied three total blocks on the night to lead the Roadrunners defensively.
The Blazers hit the court again Sunday, Oct. 30 as they host No. 23 Western Kentucky in Bartow Arena at noon.
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