The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Auburn
UAB Volleyball Hosts Auburn, UNF, Troy in Weekend Tourney
9/8/2022 12:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB Volleyball team (3-3, 0-0 C-USA), returns to action in Bartow Arena to host a weekend tournament featuring Auburn, North Florida and Troy on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively.
"We had a great crowd last Sunday, and we are working on continuing to build on that energy this weekend," said Head Coach Betsy Freeburg. "We're excited about SAAC night, and we need as many students as possible to come out and help us create an awesome home court advantage. Volleyball is the ultimate team sport, and we want our crowd to be an extension of our bench!"
UAB (3-3) vs. Auburn (5-0)
Sept. 9 | 7 p.m. | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
WATCH | LIVE STATS
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
The Tigers came off of a 13-15 overall record in the 2021 season. In the SEC, Auburn finished with a 5-13 record, concluding their season with a straight-set loss against then-ranked No. 24 Mississippi State. The Tigers welcome seven freshmen to their roster, and have just one senior leading the team.
Despite their previous season's performance, the Tigers are currently undefeated to start the 2022 season. They've taken on Alabama State, Alabama A&M, and Marist in their last three matches, and only dropped one set in the duration of competition. They currently rank second in blocks and first in aces in the SEC.
UAB (3-3) vs. North Florida (1-4)
Sept. 10 | 5 p.m. | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
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SCOUTING THE OSPREYS
The Ospreys finished the 2021 season with a record of 25-8, where they noticeably defeated Virginia Tech in five sets. North Florida went on to play in the ASUN tournament, losing to Florida Gulf Coast, but winning a bid into the NIVC tournament. The Ospreys finished third in the ASUN West, with two players ranking within the top three in two stat categories.
UNF returns with Rocio Moro, who finished the season with ASUN Defensive Player of the Year honors, and currently holds the all-time career digs for Osprey Volleyball with 1,700. Mahalia White also joins the Ospreys this season with a Gators Invitational All-Tournament Team honor. A transfer from UC Davis, she made her immediate mark with UNF, with a season-high 19 kills in the Ospreys' match against Syracuse.
UAB (3-3) vs. Troy (2-4)
Sept. 11 | 3 p.m. | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
WATCH | LIVE STATS
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
The Trojans are no stranger to the Blazers, with the first meeting between UAB and Troy dating back to 1980. Of these 28 meetings, the Blazers have won 22 of them. However, the last meeting between these two teams resulted in a loss on the Blazers' end.
Last season, the Trojans finished the season 18-13. They've competed against the likes of LSU and Virginia Tech, both teams Troy defeated. The Trojans finished second in the Sun Belt in service aces, but in the bottom half in other offensive specific categories. Junior, Julia Brooks, returns to the roster with All-Sun Belt First-Team honors.
QUOTES FROM COACH FREEBURG
"We learned a lot during the match against Samford, and they exposed quite a few holes that we are working to address this week," said Freeburg. "We went away from our passing techniques and discipline, and are spending a lot of time going back to fundamentals. We also learned we have some depth on our bench in both the opposite and middle that will be helpful as the season progresses."
"So far this year, we've shown if we stay within our system we are really efficient, and when we start riffing, things start to slip. When we combine discipline with toughness we played with last weekend, we have a great opportunity ahead of us this fall."
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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