The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Sunday, November 3
Birmingham, Ala. / Bartow Arena
1 p.m.
UAB
vs
Rice
UAB Heads to Middle Tennessee, Hosts No. 18 Rice
10/31/2019 1:22:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB volleyball team is slated for another pair of conference contests this weekend with one road match and one home match on the ledger. The Blazers will first head to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to take on Middle Tennessee on Friday at 6 p.m., then come home to host No. 18 Rice on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Bartow Arena.
Tickets for the match against No. 18 Rice are available now. Live streaming and live stats will be provided for both matches with links located on the UAB volleyball schedule page.
UAB This Season
The Blazers (11-10, 3-5 C-USA) enter the weekend stretch following pair of tough losses, falling in a sweep to Conference USA leader No. 23 WKU and dropping 3-1 to Florida Atlantic. The highly touted Lady Toppers have won 19 straight, while the Owls currently sit in fourth in the conference and are riding a four-game winning streak.
UAB continues to be among the nation's best when serving, averaging 1.78 aces per set to rank as high as No. 16 in the NCAA and place third in Conference USA in the category.
Individually, redshirt junior outside hitter Emma Mitchell is still leading the way for the Blazers offensively. The Charlotte, N.C., has piled up a team-leading 238 kills (3.17 k/s) this season. That mark alone places her at No. 11 in the conference, while her team-high 22 service aces put her at No. 10 in C-USA. She is also a leader for the Blazers on the defensive side, piling up the second-most digs on the squad with 190 this season.
True freshman setter Rachel Morse has been a bright spot for the Blazers as the orchestrator of the offense, totaling a team-best 614 assists (8.53 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 seventh in the conference with 78 total blocks (1.07 b/s).
Scouting Middle Tennessee
The Blue Raiders (10-13, 3-5 C-USA) come into the contest riding a three-game winning streak. Middle Tennessee took down its last three opponents on the road, beginning with a 3-1 midweek victory at UT Martin followed by a 3-2 win at North Texas and a 3-1 win at Southern Miss to wrap up the weekend.
Middle Tennessee has fielded a potent attack this season, leading Conference USA in total kills with 1,123 and total assists with 1,062. Running the show individually for the Blue Raiders is senior setter Taylor Hammill, whose 10.08 assists per set currently rank third in the conference.
The Blazers currently hold an 18-10 advantage in the all-time series. UAB swept the first five meetings of the two programs from 1984-89 for the longest streak of the series. The Blazers have also won the last two contests with another sweep a season ago and a 3-1 win earlier this season in Bartow Arena.
Scouting No. 18 Rice
The Owls (19-1, 8-0 C-USA) enter the matchup in second place in conference with their only blemish a five-set loss to Stephen F. Austin. Rice recently downed FIU at home, 3-1, to reach a 10-game winning streak. The streak began with a 3-2 victory over the current top team in the country, No. 1 Texas.
Rice ranks among the best in the nation offensively. The Owls are currently third in the nation and first in conference with 14.74 kills per set, also ranking seventh in the NCAA and first in Conference USA with 13.44 assists per set. Rice also has the sixth best winning percentage in the country at 95 percent, just trailing WKU in conference.
Leading the charge for the Owl attack is junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon, who's currently fifth in the nation and first in conference with 5.05 kills per set. Along with Lennon's volume, sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle has been one of the country's most efficient attackers, posting a 43.1 attacking percentage to rank eighth in the NCAA and second in Conference USA.
The Owls lead the all-time series 13-8 coming into the matchup. Rice took the first meeting in sweeping fashion in 1987 and the most recent match 3-1 at home last season. UAB's last victory in the series was a sweep in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament in 2013.
Up Next
UAB will next host conference opponents Southern Miss and Charlotte for its last home stand of the season. The Blazers will kick off the weekend against Southern Miss on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m., then welcome Charlotte for Senior Day on Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. Tickets for both matches are available now, and live stats along with a live stream will be provided for both matches with links located 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).
Tickets for the match against No. 18 Rice are available now. Live streaming and live stats will be provided for both matches with links located on the UAB volleyball schedule page.
UAB This Season
The Blazers (11-10, 3-5 C-USA) enter the weekend stretch following pair of tough losses, falling in a sweep to Conference USA leader No. 23 WKU and dropping 3-1 to Florida Atlantic. The highly touted Lady Toppers have won 19 straight, while the Owls currently sit in fourth in the conference and are riding a four-game winning streak.
UAB continues to be among the nation's best when serving, averaging 1.78 aces per set to rank as high as No. 16 in the NCAA and place third in Conference USA in the category.
Individually, redshirt junior outside hitter Emma Mitchell is still leading the way for the Blazers offensively. The Charlotte, N.C., has piled up a team-leading 238 kills (3.17 k/s) this season. That mark alone places her at No. 11 in the conference, while her team-high 22 service aces put her at No. 10 in C-USA. She is also a leader for the Blazers on the defensive side, piling up the second-most digs on the squad with 190 this season.
True freshman setter Rachel Morse has been a bright spot for the Blazers as the orchestrator of the offense, totaling a team-best 614 assists (8.53 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 seventh in the conference with 78 total blocks (1.07 b/s).
Scouting Middle Tennessee
The Blue Raiders (10-13, 3-5 C-USA) come into the contest riding a three-game winning streak. Middle Tennessee took down its last three opponents on the road, beginning with a 3-1 midweek victory at UT Martin followed by a 3-2 win at North Texas and a 3-1 win at Southern Miss to wrap up the weekend.
Middle Tennessee has fielded a potent attack this season, leading Conference USA in total kills with 1,123 and total assists with 1,062. Running the show individually for the Blue Raiders is senior setter Taylor Hammill, whose 10.08 assists per set currently rank third in the conference.
The Blazers currently hold an 18-10 advantage in the all-time series. UAB swept the first five meetings of the two programs from 1984-89 for the longest streak of the series. The Blazers have also won the last two contests with another sweep a season ago and a 3-1 win earlier this season in Bartow Arena.
Scouting No. 18 Rice
The Owls (19-1, 8-0 C-USA) enter the matchup in second place in conference with their only blemish a five-set loss to Stephen F. Austin. Rice recently downed FIU at home, 3-1, to reach a 10-game winning streak. The streak began with a 3-2 victory over the current top team in the country, No. 1 Texas.
Rice ranks among the best in the nation offensively. The Owls are currently third in the nation and first in conference with 14.74 kills per set, also ranking seventh in the NCAA and first in Conference USA with 13.44 assists per set. Rice also has the sixth best winning percentage in the country at 95 percent, just trailing WKU in conference.
Leading the charge for the Owl attack is junior outside hitter Nicole Lennon, who's currently fifth in the nation and first in conference with 5.05 kills per set. Along with Lennon's volume, sophomore middle blocker Anota Adekunle has been one of the country's most efficient attackers, posting a 43.1 attacking percentage to rank eighth in the NCAA and second in Conference USA.
The Owls lead the all-time series 13-8 coming into the matchup. Rice took the first meeting in sweeping fashion in 1987 and the most recent match 3-1 at home last season. UAB's last victory in the series was a sweep in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament in 2013.
Up Next
UAB will next host conference opponents Southern Miss and Charlotte for its last home stand of the season. The Blazers will kick off the weekend against Southern Miss on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m., then welcome Charlotte for Senior Day on Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. Tickets for both matches are available now, and live stats along with a live stream will be provided for both matches with links located 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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