UAB Blanks UTEP in Fourth Sweep of Season

Friday, October 11

El Paso, Texas

7 p.m.

UAB

10-7, 2-2

UTEP

7-10, 0-4

UAB

UTEP

UAB Blanks UTEP in Fourth Sweep of Season

10/11/2019 11:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats Conference Stats

EL PASO, Texas – The UAB Volleyball team took care of business against UTEP, cruising past the Miners for a 3-0 sweep on the road Friday night. The Blazers (10-7, 2-2 C-USA) were dominant from start to finish, keeping UTEP (7-10, 0-4 C-USA) from holding a lead when it had any more than nine points.

"Overall, this game should give us momentum and confidence going into another hard road match on Sunday," said coach Amy Pauly.

Player Spotlight
UAB had a fluent attack across from its outside hitters as redshirt junior Emma Mitchell and redshirt freshman Fernanda Maida each had 10 kills while redshirt sophomore Alex Kells totaled nine kills. Mitchell also added 11 digs for her fifth double double of the season.

True freshman setter Rachel Morse continued to orchestrate the attack as she piled up 30 assists to go with a pair of kills and six digs.

"While we had a really great night offensively, the credit has to go to the passing," said Pauly. "Our serve receive put our offense in a position to be balanced, and Rachel did a great job of keeping us in rhythm."

True freshman middle blocker Kiana Mack anchored the Blazer defense, tying her career high with six total blocks along with three kills on the night.

"Tonight, Kiana embodied what this group has been talking about all season, and that's contributing even when other parts of your game aren't going your way," said Pauly. "Offensively, it wasn't her night, but she stepped up and really anchored our defense by being a force at the net."

How it Happened
As a unit, UAB's key advantages came in aces and total blocks. The Blazers placed six aces without allowing UTEP to muster any and doubled the Miners in total blocks at 8-4.

The first set was tight early as UAB took the first substantial lead at 12-7. UTEP would bounce back to even things up at 15, but the Blazers refused to surrender the lead. As the two sides traded blows, UAB strung together points piece by piece to take the first set, 25-22.

UAB again took control early in the second set, going up 10-5. The Blazers kept their distance throughout the set, pushing forward to a 15-9 lead. UAB kept UTEP out of striking distance the rest of the way, ending the set on a four-point run for the 25-18 set win.

UAB went on a five-point run early in the third set to take a 6-3 lead. Although UTEP soon answered and the two sides traded the lead back and forth, the Blazers went on a stretch scoring seven out of eight points to jump comfortably ahead, 20-14. UAB would soon wrap things up with a final kill from Mitchell to win the third set, 25-21, and close out the sweep.

Up Next
UAB will next finish its weekend stint in the Lone Star State at UTSA. The Blazers and Roadrunners are set to square off on Sunday at 1 p.m. in San Antonio. Live stats along with a live stream will be provided with links located on the UAB volleyball schedule page.

Volleyball season tickets are on sale by purchasing the 2019-20 Gold Card for $65. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all UAB volleyball, men's and women's soccer, women's basketball, baseball and softball events for the upcoming academic year. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.

For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter or Instagram (@UAB_VB).