The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Friday, November 19
Norfolk, VA
4:00 PM
UAB
vs
Western Kentucky
Photo by: Brantley Bargerhuff
UAB Travels To Norfolk to Compete in C-USA Tournament
11/16/2021 4:20:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM- The UAB Volleyball team will travel to Norfolk, Virginia to take on Western Kentucky in the first round of the Conference USA Championship Tournament. Single Elimination action will begin for the Blazers on Friday, November 19 at 4 p.m. CT.
Fans can follow along with live stats through Statbroadcast. All tournament matches will be available through ESPN+. This is a subscription-based service. Click here to register a new account.
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Friday, November 19 – Quarterfinals
Match 1: (4E) Charlotte vs. (1W) Rice (ESPN+) – 12 p.m. ET
Match 2: (3W) North Texas vs. (2E) Middle Tennessee (ESPN+) – 2 p.m. ET
Match 3: (4W) UAB vs. (1E) WKU (ESPN+) – 5 p.m. ET
Match 4: (3E) FIU vs. (2W) UTEP (ESPN+) – 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, November 20 – Semifinals
Match 5: M1 Winner vs. M2 Winner (ESPN+) – 12 p.m. ET
Match 6: M3 Winner vs. M4 Winner (ESPN+) – 2:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, November 21 – Championship Match
Match 7: Semifinal Winners (ESPN+) – 11 a.m. ET
UAB PREVIEW
UAB enters the tournament hoping for a statement win versus Western Kentucky. The Blazers are led by their outstanding hitting duo of Alex Kells and Fernanda Maida, and the fierce defensive play of freshman libero Erin Powers. Kells has 317 kills, and Maida has 354, despite missing the last four games. Powers leads the squad with 366 digs, and averages 4.21 a set. UAB is fourth in Conference USA in service aces with 136.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
WKU has enjoyed an excellent season, boasts a 24-1 record, and is currently riding a 17 match win streak. Western Kentucky is the defending 2020 champion, and has won six of the seven possible C-USA tournament titles since joining the league in 2014. The Hilltoppers are currently ranked as the No. 18 team in the nation, and rank second in the nation in team hitting percentage.
Western Kentucky has held their opponents to a .127 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth nationally. The Hilltoppers lead Conference USA in blocks, with 213, as well as service aces (148).
Additionally, Lauren Matthews of WKU leads Conference USA in hitting percentage with .490, and Nadia Dieudonne leads the conference in assists with 909.
Coach Betsy Freeburg said, "We are creating a culture where it is the expectation to be playing late into November, and we are excited to be one of the 8 teams in CUSA still playing this week. We really had to fight through some adversity and pressure in route to this back to back Championship Tournament appearance. WKU is a really great program and team, and we know we will have to give great effort on Friday night in order to have success. That being said, we have put together some really focused and intentional practices this week and are finally getting healthy, so we are looking forward to the challenge ahead."
For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow @UAB_VB on Twitter and Instagram.
Fans can follow along with live stats through Statbroadcast. All tournament matches will be available through ESPN+. This is a subscription-based service. Click here to register a new account.
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Friday, November 19 – Quarterfinals
Match 1: (4E) Charlotte vs. (1W) Rice (ESPN+) – 12 p.m. ET
Match 2: (3W) North Texas vs. (2E) Middle Tennessee (ESPN+) – 2 p.m. ET
Match 3: (4W) UAB vs. (1E) WKU (ESPN+) – 5 p.m. ET
Match 4: (3E) FIU vs. (2W) UTEP (ESPN+) – 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, November 20 – Semifinals
Match 5: M1 Winner vs. M2 Winner (ESPN+) – 12 p.m. ET
Match 6: M3 Winner vs. M4 Winner (ESPN+) – 2:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, November 21 – Championship Match
Match 7: Semifinal Winners (ESPN+) – 11 a.m. ET
UAB PREVIEW
UAB enters the tournament hoping for a statement win versus Western Kentucky. The Blazers are led by their outstanding hitting duo of Alex Kells and Fernanda Maida, and the fierce defensive play of freshman libero Erin Powers. Kells has 317 kills, and Maida has 354, despite missing the last four games. Powers leads the squad with 366 digs, and averages 4.21 a set. UAB is fourth in Conference USA in service aces with 136.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
WKU has enjoyed an excellent season, boasts a 24-1 record, and is currently riding a 17 match win streak. Western Kentucky is the defending 2020 champion, and has won six of the seven possible C-USA tournament titles since joining the league in 2014. The Hilltoppers are currently ranked as the No. 18 team in the nation, and rank second in the nation in team hitting percentage.
Western Kentucky has held their opponents to a .127 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth nationally. The Hilltoppers lead Conference USA in blocks, with 213, as well as service aces (148).
Additionally, Lauren Matthews of WKU leads Conference USA in hitting percentage with .490, and Nadia Dieudonne leads the conference in assists with 909.
Coach Betsy Freeburg said, "We are creating a culture where it is the expectation to be playing late into November, and we are excited to be one of the 8 teams in CUSA still playing this week. We really had to fight through some adversity and pressure in route to this back to back Championship Tournament appearance. WKU is a really great program and team, and we know we will have to give great effort on Friday night in order to have success. That being said, we have put together some really focused and intentional practices this week and are finally getting healthy, so we are looking forward to the challenge ahead."
For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow @UAB_VB on Twitter and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballCoffee with Coach | 2025 Week 3
Tuesday, September 09
Coffee with Coach | 2025 Week 4
Wednesday, September 03
Coffee with Coach | 2025 Week 2
Tuesday, September 02
UAB Football Postgame Press Conference | Alabama State
Friday, August 29
