The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
3-23,1-13AAC
Charlotte
10-15,3-10AAC
Blazers Drop Five-Setter to Charlotte
11/4/2023 12:19:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – UAB Volleyball fell to the Charlotte 49ers on Friday evening in a five-setter. The Blazers now sit at a record of 3-23 and 1-13 in AAC Play.
The Green and Gold took the first two sets before dropping set three through five. The Blazers finished with three players with double-digit kills and one with a triple-double. The Green and Gold and 49ers both finished with 64 kills on the evening.
IN THE SETS
UAB began the match with an early lead before extending it to eight after an ace from Kelsey Smith and a kill from Jay Collins. The 49ers tallied up five attack errors, giving UAB the upper edge to maintain the lead through the first set. The Green and Gold gave a collective effort, holding Charlotte to a score margin of no less than four before claiming the first set 25-20.
Set two saw Charlotte strike first, with the 49ers leading 9-3 before Jorda Crook and Brooklyn Allison pushed UAB to get within four. The Blazers continued the offensive and defensive efforts to get within one point of Charlotte, but the 49ers kept their distance. The momentum shifted after an 8-0 run to have the Blazers reach 21, but the set would extend past 25 after errors plagued the Blazers' offense. The Green and Gold put away set two after three straight kills to win 27-25.
The final three sets were all Charlotte, with the 49ers jumping to an early five-point lead. UAB would not back down, with UAB finishing with 15 kills to Charlotte's 14. It would not prove to give the Green and Gold the set.
Charlotte tied the match in set four, with the 49ers jumping out to an early 10-5 lead, but UAB responded with a 5-1 run to get within one point. Charlotte continued to take advantage of errors from the Blazers to extend the lead to a sizable one, holding the Blazers to just 17 points before forcing set five.
The deciding set went to the Wire, with the Blazers and 49ers exchanging lead changes six times within the first ten points. The Green and Gold and Charlotte additionally tied five times before the Blazers were first to reach the eight-point mark. However, the 49ers responded with a 6-2 run to jump out 13-11. The Blazers halted the run with a block assist from Smith and Madison Page, but would not be able to close out the set and drop the match with a 15-12 loss.
IN THE BOX
- Kelsey Smith, Asli Celikkol, and Jorda Crook finished with double-digit kills on the evening. Smith had a match-leading 19 kills and Crook set a new career-high with 11 kills.
- Smith finished with a triple-double of 19 kills, 21 assists and 12 digs.
- The Blazers finished with 64 total kills on the evening, along with the 49ers. The two teams would both finish with seven service aces apiece.
- UAB out-dug the 49ers 86 to 78.
UP NEXT
The Blazers round out the weekend, taking on the Charlotte 49ers for the second match of the weekend for AAC play. The Green and Gold take the court at 3 p.m.
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