UAB Knocks Off Four-Time Defending Conference USA Champion WKU, 3-1, on the Road

Friday, October 12

Bowling Green, KY

6:00 PM

UAB

-119; 33 CUSA

WKU

-147; 52 CUSA

UAB

WKU

UAB Knocks Off Four-Time Defending Conference USA Champion WKU, 3-1, on the Road

10/12/2018 9:54:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats (PDF)

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The UAB volleyball team defeated four-time defending Conference USA Champion, WKU, in four sets (25-22, 25-23, 17-25, 25-17) on Friday night at E.A. Diddle Arena, the first Blazer win over the Hilltoppers since 1990.

Alex Kells and the UAB offense were unstoppable on the night as Kells racked up 11 kills, 12 digs and four blocks. The Toronto, Canada native added a service to her night as well. As a team, the Green and Gold hit .258 while holding WKU to .157. The offense was really clicking in the first set as it hit .526 with 10 kills on 19 attacks and no errors.

UAB (11-9, 3-3 C-USA) kept up the attack in the second, hitting at a clip of .394. WKU's defense responded in the third set and held the Blazers to -.025 but UAB quickly rebounded in the fourth set with a .321 attack percentage.

"Tonight was a complete team victory," head coach Amy Pauly said. "Everything was in rhythm for us tonight and it was hard to stop us offensively. Our passers did a phenomenal job of keeping us in system and allowing Shelby Holderfield to run her offense."

The sophomore setter, Holderfield, played extremely well with 40 assists, seven digs, three kills and a service ace. Meanwhile, Brianna Muller and Kells led UAB with 12 digs apiece. Emma Mitchell and Emily Martinez each chipped in with seven digs to keep the offense flowing and the Blazers in system.

"Alex had a breakout performance," Pauly said. "She's a complete player and tonight she excelled in every part of the game. That is our expectation of her and it has been since she started fall camp. Tonight, she put it all together."

Joining Kells in leading UAB was Mitchell who led the team with 13 kills and hit .258 for the match. Abby Carlile and Emily Rudolph continue to contribute in a big way as Carlile picked up nine kills and Rudolph added seven kills and five blocks on the night.

WKU (14-7, 5-2 C-USA) was unable to slow down the UAB offense most of the night as the Green and Gold played almost error free volleyball on the offensive end. However, the Hilltoppers' offense was held to a .219 hitting percentage in the opening set, .172 in the second, .257 in the third and hit -.032 in the fourth set.

The Blazers managed 12 blocks on the night and out dug WKU 49-46. UAB held the Hilltoppers' top kills leader, Rachel Anderson, top just eight kills and a .125 attack percentage.

Since WKU joined Conference USA, it had not lost to UAB, going 6-0 over that span and had not fallen to the Blazers since the Green and Gold won a 3-2 match on Nov. 17, 1990. UAB and WKU only met once more in the nineties, on Sept. 9, 1996 when WKU won in four sets.

The series went cold until Oct. 31, 2014 when the Hilltoppers went on their six-game winning streak as new members of Conference USA. The UAB vs. WKU series dates back to 1982 and saw the Blazers win the first 21 matches between the schools.

UAB is now 23-9 all-time against WKU.

Up Next:

UAB will stay on the road and play at Charlotte on Sunday, October 14 at 1 p.m. The Blazers return to Bartow Arena on Sunday, October 21 to host North Texas.

Single game tickets are on sale for $5 for adults and $3 for youth and can be purchased at the gate, online at uabsports.com, or by calling the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.

Fans can receive access to every volleyball, women's soccer, men's soccer, women's basketball, baseball and softball game for the entire 2018-19 season by purchasing a Gold Card. Contact the UAB Ticket Office (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.