The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Friday, October 25
Birmingham, Ala. / Bartow Arena
7 p.m.
UAB
vs
WKU
Blazers Host Conference USA Leader No. 23 WKU and Florida Atlantic
10/24/2019 3:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB volleyball team will wrap up its three-match home stand this weekend with a pair of Conference USA contests against league leader No. 23 WKU and Florida Atlantic in Bartow Arena.
The Blazers will face the highly touted Lady Toppers on Friday at 7 p.m., then take on the Owls on Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are for both matches are available now. Live streaming and live stats will be provided with links located on the UAB volleyball schedule page.
UAB This Season
The Blazers (11-8, 3-3 C-USA) come into the contest after sweeping their lone opponent last weekend in FIU, drawing even in conference play and moving to 6-1 at home.
UAB continues to be among the nation's best when serving, averaging 1.91 aces per set to rank as high as seventh in the NCAA and place second in Conference USA in the category.
Individually, redshirt junior outside hitter Emma Mitchell is still leading the way for the Blazers in both phases. The Charlotte, N.C., has piled up a team-leading 220 digs (3.22 k/s) this season, which ranks ninth in the conference. Mitchell also has 22 aces and 179 digs on the year on the defensive side, both also team bests.
True freshman setter Rachel Morse has been a bright spot for the Blazers as the orchestrator of the offense, totaling a team-high 566 assists (8.71 a/s) to currently rank sixth in Conference USA. Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Anna D'Cruz has been UAB's defensive anchor to date, ranking fourth in the conference with 75 total blocks (1.14 b/s).
Scouting No. 23 WKU
The Lady Toppers (21-1, 7-0 C-USA) come into the contest sitting atop Conference USA. WKU has swept its last three opponents in FIU, Middle Tennessee and UTSA, winning 17 straight matches to date.
Along with leading Conference USA overall, the Lady Toppers have posted some of the best numbers in the country. Most notably, WKU has the best win-loss ratio (95.5) in the nation. The Lady Toppers are also fifth in the country and lead the conference in two separate categories, aces (151) and hitting percentage (29.3).
Leading the serving efforts is senior right side hitter Sophia Cerino, who paces the NCAA with 53 aces this season. Providing the biggest boost to WKU's attacking efficiency is sophomore middle hitter Lauren Matthews, who is first in the conference and third in the country with a 45.3 hitting percentage. Junior setter Nadia Dieudonne has set up the Lady Topper attack, leading the conference and placing 14th in the nation with 808 assists.
The Blazers currently hold a 23-10 all-time series lead over the Lady Toppers. UAB also owns the longest streak of the series after winning the first 21 matches between the two sides. The Blazers took the most recent contest over WKU as well after downing the Lady Toppers 3-1 on their home floor last season.
Scouting Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic (10-7, 4-2 C-USA) enters the matchup having swept its previous two conference opponents at home in Charlotte and UTEP.
The Owls are near the top of the conference in assists and hitting percentage, ranking third in hitting percentage (23.8) and second in assists per set (12.48). Senior outside hitter Massiel Matos has been the Florida Atlantic's leader when serving, adding 25 aces on the season to rank third in the conference.
Florida Atlantic controls the all-time series to date with a 5-1 lead. The Blazers won the first meeting of the series, sweeping the Owls on their home floor. Florida Atlantic has won each match since.
Promotions
Friday's match against No. 23 WKU is UAB's Greek Night. Greek Life students will be able to enter a raffle for a free TV and with the Fired Up app to earn points toward the Greek Life Challenge.
Sunday's outing against Florida Atlantic be the Blazers' Halloween match and camper reunion. Any children dressed in costume at the match will receive free mini candy buckets. Any former volleyball camper who arrives to the match in their camp T-shirt will be offered a $1 ticket as well.
As with all UAB home matches, postgame autographs will be available following each contest.
Up Next
UAB will split next weekend's action with one match on the road and another at home. The Blazer's will kick off the weekend at Middle Tennessee on Nov. 1 at 6 p.m., then travel home to host Rice on Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. Live stats will be provided for both matches, and a live stream will be provided for the Rice match. Links for each will be available on the UAB 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).
The Blazers will face the highly touted Lady Toppers on Friday at 7 p.m., then take on the Owls on Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are for both matches are available now. Live streaming and live stats will be provided with links located on the UAB volleyball schedule page.
UAB This Season
The Blazers (11-8, 3-3 C-USA) come into the contest after sweeping their lone opponent last weekend in FIU, drawing even in conference play and moving to 6-1 at home.
UAB continues to be among the nation's best when serving, averaging 1.91 aces per set to rank as high as seventh in the NCAA and place second in Conference USA in the category.
Individually, redshirt junior outside hitter Emma Mitchell is still leading the way for the Blazers in both phases. The Charlotte, N.C., has piled up a team-leading 220 digs (3.22 k/s) this season, which ranks ninth in the conference. Mitchell also has 22 aces and 179 digs on the year on the defensive side, both also team bests.
True freshman setter Rachel Morse has been a bright spot for the Blazers as the orchestrator of the offense, totaling a team-high 566 assists (8.71 a/s) to currently rank sixth in Conference USA. Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Anna D'Cruz has been UAB's defensive anchor to date, ranking fourth in the conference with 75 total blocks (1.14 b/s).
Scouting No. 23 WKU
The Lady Toppers (21-1, 7-0 C-USA) come into the contest sitting atop Conference USA. WKU has swept its last three opponents in FIU, Middle Tennessee and UTSA, winning 17 straight matches to date.
Along with leading Conference USA overall, the Lady Toppers have posted some of the best numbers in the country. Most notably, WKU has the best win-loss ratio (95.5) in the nation. The Lady Toppers are also fifth in the country and lead the conference in two separate categories, aces (151) and hitting percentage (29.3).
Leading the serving efforts is senior right side hitter Sophia Cerino, who paces the NCAA with 53 aces this season. Providing the biggest boost to WKU's attacking efficiency is sophomore middle hitter Lauren Matthews, who is first in the conference and third in the country with a 45.3 hitting percentage. Junior setter Nadia Dieudonne has set up the Lady Topper attack, leading the conference and placing 14th in the nation with 808 assists.
The Blazers currently hold a 23-10 all-time series lead over the Lady Toppers. UAB also owns the longest streak of the series after winning the first 21 matches between the two sides. The Blazers took the most recent contest over WKU as well after downing the Lady Toppers 3-1 on their home floor last season.
Scouting Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic (10-7, 4-2 C-USA) enters the matchup having swept its previous two conference opponents at home in Charlotte and UTEP.
The Owls are near the top of the conference in assists and hitting percentage, ranking third in hitting percentage (23.8) and second in assists per set (12.48). Senior outside hitter Massiel Matos has been the Florida Atlantic's leader when serving, adding 25 aces on the season to rank third in the conference.
Florida Atlantic controls the all-time series to date with a 5-1 lead. The Blazers won the first meeting of the series, sweeping the Owls on their home floor. Florida Atlantic has won each match since.
Promotions
Friday's match against No. 23 WKU is UAB's Greek Night. Greek Life students will be able to enter a raffle for a free TV and with the Fired Up app to earn points toward the Greek Life Challenge.
Sunday's outing against Florida Atlantic be the Blazers' Halloween match and camper reunion. Any children dressed in costume at the match will receive free mini candy buckets. Any former volleyball camper who arrives to the match in their camp T-shirt will be offered a $1 ticket as well.
As with all UAB home matches, postgame autographs will be available following each contest.
Up Next
UAB will split next weekend's action with one match on the road and another at home. The Blazer's will kick off the weekend at Middle Tennessee on Nov. 1 at 6 p.m., then travel home to host Rice on Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. Live stats will be provided for both matches, and a live stream will be provided for the Rice match. Links for each will be available on the UAB 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).
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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