The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Rice
Blazers Return to Bartow to Take On No. 22 Rice
10/13/2022 1:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB Blazer volleyball team (7-10, 2-3 C-USA) returns from the Sunshine State to their home court, reentering conference play on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. to take on the No. 22 Rice Owls.
The Blazers return from Florida, where they played the FIU Panthers and the FAU Owls. UAB closed out the weekend series, dropping both matches in five sets.
"Coming off our longest trip of the year, where we played ten sets of volleyball, it is important to make sure we are recovering and preparing for Rice and Louisiana Tech this weekend." said head coach Betsy Freeburg. The Blazers look to bounce back from this weekend's performance as conference play starts to reach its peak.
UAB (7-10, 2-3 C-USA) vs. Rice (15-2, 5-0 C-USA)
Oct. 14 | 7 p.m. | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
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SCOUTING THE OWLS
Rice has taken on the likes of Creighton, LSU, and Texas Tech in their schedule. The only two losses for the Owls came from Oregon and Baylor; both top 25 ranked opponents. So far, Rice has played five ranked teams on their schedule, defeating three of the five. They closed their last non-conference matchup on Wednesday, taking on No. 18 Baylor, losing the match 0-3.
In conference play, the Owls are undefeated and ranked first in Conference USA, winning all of their matches in league play as of Oct. 12. Their run mirrors the previous season, where Rice went undefeated up until the conference championship, where they eventually fell to WKU. In their last conference
Players to watch out for on the Owls include Anota Adekunle, ranked second in kills with 182. Adekunle represented the 2022 U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team, the AVCA Southwest Region Team, and C-USA First Team All-Conference. Along with Adekunle, Nia McCardell contributes to the Owls on the defensive side. McCardell cruises through the 2022 season as a four-time C-USA Defensive Player of The Week and averages 20.3 digs per set for the Owls.
QUOTES FROM COACH FREEBURG
"We talk a lot about taking control of what we can control, and at this point in the season, that comes down to sleep, nutrition, and stress management. It's important to have not only physically healthy bodies but also mentally healthy minds as we continue to strive to be our best."
"We are excited to be back in Bartow Arena, sleeping in our beds and playing in front of our awesome Blazer fans this week. We look forward to hosting another top 25 team on Friday night in Rice, which is a great opportunity for our program."
"After each weekend, our staff comes up with big rocks we want to improve on during the week and work to accomplish those through our practice planning. This week we are talking about being disciplined in our effort and execution. We have also changed up some of our rhythms to start our practices with high intensity."
TITLE IX NIGHT
The Blazers will celebrate 50 years of the forward progress of Title IX with Title IX Night this Friday.
"Personally, there are countless reasons to explain what Title IX means to me," said Freeburg. "As the coach, it provides the opportunity to work with 17 tremendous student-athletes who are all given this opportunity to not only gain an amazing education but also play the sport we all love at a high level, which is an honor."
2022-23 GOLD CARD
Purchase the 2022-23 Gold Card for $65 here. The 2022-23 Gold Card will get you access to all home events for Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer, Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Softball, and Baseball (Regions Field & Young Memorial). This card is not valid for Conference USA or NCAA Championship events.
To keep up to date with the UAB Volleyball team, follow @UAB_VB on Instagram and Twitter.
