The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
-57,00 CUSA
Florida A&M University
3-11,0-0SWAC
UAB Rallies Back to Defeat FAMU in Five Sets
9/18/2022 4:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
TALLAHASSEE – The UAB Volleyball team rounded out their road trip in the Al Lawson Center taking on the FAMU Rattlers, where the Blazers returned from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Rattlers 3-2 in a five-setter.
"Today's win was huge for our team, and it really was a great display of toughness and unity. We had to work to create momentum and mojo the whole match," said head coach, Betsy Freeburg. "Before set 5, we talked about how much we had already been tested this season and kept believing and trusting that everyone was going to play their role to their best ability, and we did just that."
The first set started with an ace from the Rattlers, before UAB's Fernanda Maida responded with a kill to tie the score at one apiece. The margin stayed within close proximity before FAMU responded with a series of kills and aces to put the Rattlers ahead 10-14. The Blazers continued to trail FAMU before the Rattlers reached set point. UAB responded with a kill from Maida, and capitalized off an attack error from the Rattlers, but FAMU proceeded to take the set 25-20.
The Blazers shifted the momentum in set two with an early 8-6 lead over the Rattlers; FAMU responded with a series of kills to keep the score within a point, even taking the lead, but UAB stayed in tow, rallying back to tie the score at 20 all. The momentum shifted with a 3-0 run from the Blazers, giving them the lead and the win in set two with a 25-22 win.
Set three saw an immediate run from FAMU to give them a 6-1 lead over the Blazers. UAB would get as close as three points, but the Rattlers kept their foot on the gas, extending their lead from 6-1, to 17-10. FAMU went two 4-0 runs to extend the score to 21-12. They eventually secured set three with a 25-16 win. Florida A&M would hold the Blazers to an attack percentage of .061 and limit the team to six kills.
The fourth set saw a reverse of what was seen in the third, where the Blazers took command of the lead early, 7-3. The Green and Gold took advantage of errors from the Rattlers to expand their lead from four points to seven. FAMU trailed, but were unable to keep up with the Blazers, who went on spurts of runs to reach set point and force set five with a 25-16 win.
In the final set, UAB went on an early 6-1 lead, where the Rattlers struggled to keep up with the continuous momentum on the Blazers part. The teams would switch sides at 8-2, but the Rattlers responded with a 4-0 run to keep the set going. This would be the only run FAMU went on before committing a series of errors that put the Blazers within set point and taking the match with a 15-9 win.
Notable stats from the match included a pair of double-doubles from Maia Rackel and Alex Kells. Rackel finished the evening with 14 kills and 12 digs, while Kells finished with 13 kills and 13 digs. Fernanda Maida led in kills with 16, while Erin Powers finished the day with 20 digs for the Blazers.
QUOTES FROM BETSY FREEBURG
"The match had a strange flow and it felt like we really had a hard time gaining rhythm. Every day in practice we start by journaling and "Letting Go" or anything that would keep us for being present. We mentally had to put that in practice before set 2 and 4, and the team responded."
"In set 4, we made the lineup switch to add Kiana Mack back into the lineup and she brought great experience and composure. We also got into a groove behind the service line and were able to side out efficiently. If FAMU scored a point, we quickly moved on to the next and kept that mentality going into set 5."
UP NEXT
The Blazers return to Bartow Arena to start conference play against the WKU Hilltoppers on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. The weekend series will be split between home and away matches, where the Blazers will then return to the road to take on Charlotte on Sunday.
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.
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