The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Bolsters 2019 Signing Class with a Pair of New Additions
5/7/2019 4:20:00β―PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM β The UAB volleyball team and head coach Amy Pauly announced the official signing of two new additions to the Blazers' 2019 signing class on Tuesday, bringing the class up to five total players.
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Faith Savage and Grace Koper will now join Kiana Mack, Lexy Thomas and Rachel Morse, who each signed in November, to round out the class. The entire group will be eligible to compete in the 2019 season as Mack already joined the squad as an early enrollee in January.
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"Grace and Faith are wonderful additions to our volleyball program," said Pauly. "They both bring a level of competitiveness and energy to our gym that is going to be contagious."
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Koper, a native of Bedford, Texas, will head to UAB after spending her high school career as a setter at Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas. The future Blazer led the Panthers to the postseason in each year she competed as the team picked up 30 or more wins every season.
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Individually, Koper was named the District 8 5A Newcomer of the Year for her sophomore season. In her junior and senior seasons, she racked up multiple honors in back-to-back years as she was named the District 8 5A Setter of the Year, earned TGCA First Team All-State honors and was named to the TAVC All-State team two straight years. Koper was selected as a TAVC All-Star her senior year as well.
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Along with those honors, the incoming freshman backed them up with her stats as she notched a career-high 61 assists against Randall High School in 2018 and compiled 3,160 assists over her final three seasons. Koper also served up 149 aces over that span.
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"Grace is a unique player since she has been both a setter and defensive specialist at the Open level," said Pauly. "She took a year off from indoor a few years ago and only focused on beach. During that time, she developed great ball control abilities, and it really helped her step up a notch in terms of athleticism. I can't wait to see her challenge our attackers with her quick defensive skills. She'll run down any ball in our gym, and it's only going to make everyone around her play harder. With her being a setter in 18 Open the last two years, I know she's going to contribute to the offensive system as well. I can't wait to see which role she excels in."
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Savage, originally hailing from Murrieta, Calif., comes to the Magic City from Stockdale, Texas, where she served as the backbone of Stockdale High School and led the team to a pair of postseason appearances as a libero and a defensive specialist for four years.
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The future Blazer steadily improved throughout her time with the Brahmas, being named Second Team All-District her freshman year, First Team All-District her sophomore year and Defensive Player of the Year her junior and senior seasons. Along with that, Savage was named a varsity captain and to the Academic All-District Team all four years.
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Outside of high school ball, Savage played for the San Antonio Magic club squad and went on to win the USA National Championship at the 15U level.Β
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As evidenced by her selections to the Academic All-District Team, Savage also excelled off the court as she finished her high school career as the Valedictorian of her class.
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"Faith is an above average serve receiver, and that's what stood out to me about her the most," said Pauly. "She has a quiet platform and a touch for the ball that is hard to teach to an athlete. She's really going to steady us out in serve receive. Faith also has an infectious energy. She loves the game, and she always has a smile on her face. Her bringing that joy to our gym is something I'm really looking forward to."
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The Blazers will head into the 2019 season on the heels of a 13-win season last year, the most wins since 2013, as they improved in every statistical category in the Pauly's debut season at the helm. Along with the five newcomers, UAB will return 11 players in 2019, including four of six starters.
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For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_VB).
Β
Faith Savage and Grace Koper will now join Kiana Mack, Lexy Thomas and Rachel Morse, who each signed in November, to round out the class. The entire group will be eligible to compete in the 2019 season as Mack already joined the squad as an early enrollee in January.
Β
"Grace and Faith are wonderful additions to our volleyball program," said Pauly. "They both bring a level of competitiveness and energy to our gym that is going to be contagious."
Β
Koper, a native of Bedford, Texas, will head to UAB after spending her high school career as a setter at Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas. The future Blazer led the Panthers to the postseason in each year she competed as the team picked up 30 or more wins every season.
Β
Individually, Koper was named the District 8 5A Newcomer of the Year for her sophomore season. In her junior and senior seasons, she racked up multiple honors in back-to-back years as she was named the District 8 5A Setter of the Year, earned TGCA First Team All-State honors and was named to the TAVC All-State team two straight years. Koper was selected as a TAVC All-Star her senior year as well.
Β
Along with those honors, the incoming freshman backed them up with her stats as she notched a career-high 61 assists against Randall High School in 2018 and compiled 3,160 assists over her final three seasons. Koper also served up 149 aces over that span.
Β
"Grace is a unique player since she has been both a setter and defensive specialist at the Open level," said Pauly. "She took a year off from indoor a few years ago and only focused on beach. During that time, she developed great ball control abilities, and it really helped her step up a notch in terms of athleticism. I can't wait to see her challenge our attackers with her quick defensive skills. She'll run down any ball in our gym, and it's only going to make everyone around her play harder. With her being a setter in 18 Open the last two years, I know she's going to contribute to the offensive system as well. I can't wait to see which role she excels in."
Β
Savage, originally hailing from Murrieta, Calif., comes to the Magic City from Stockdale, Texas, where she served as the backbone of Stockdale High School and led the team to a pair of postseason appearances as a libero and a defensive specialist for four years.
Β
The future Blazer steadily improved throughout her time with the Brahmas, being named Second Team All-District her freshman year, First Team All-District her sophomore year and Defensive Player of the Year her junior and senior seasons. Along with that, Savage was named a varsity captain and to the Academic All-District Team all four years.
Β
Outside of high school ball, Savage played for the San Antonio Magic club squad and went on to win the USA National Championship at the 15U level.Β
Β
As evidenced by her selections to the Academic All-District Team, Savage also excelled off the court as she finished her high school career as the Valedictorian of her class.
Β
"Faith is an above average serve receiver, and that's what stood out to me about her the most," said Pauly. "She has a quiet platform and a touch for the ball that is hard to teach to an athlete. She's really going to steady us out in serve receive. Faith also has an infectious energy. She loves the game, and she always has a smile on her face. Her bringing that joy to our gym is something I'm really looking forward to."
Β
The Blazers will head into the 2019 season on the heels of a 13-win season last year, the most wins since 2013, as they improved in every statistical category in the Pauly's debut season at the helm. Along with the five newcomers, UAB will return 11 players in 2019, including four of six starters.
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For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_VB).
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