The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Friday, November 14
Greenville, N.C.
5:00 p.m.
UAB
at
East Carolina
Blazers Seek American Tournament Spot in Final Week
11/13/2025 5:09:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB Volleyball enters the final week of the American Conference regular season on the outside looking in, but sits just a few results away from heading to Tampa next week. The Blazers are led into the final week by back-to-back American Conference Offensive Player of the Week Jorda Crook.
FOLLOW LIVE
Friday, Nov. 14 at East Carolina, 5 p.m. CT | Watch | Live Stats
Sunday, Nov. 16 at Charlotte, 12 p.m. CT | Watch | Live Stats
THE PATH TO TAMPA
Of the 128 combinations of results among the four teams battling for the final two tournament spots, 16 of them result in UAB heading to Tampa next week. All 16 combinations need UAB to defeat both East Carolina and Charlotte, finishing the regular season 7-9.
Only three combinations can stem from Charlotte defeating Memphis on Friday night; the other 13 need Memphis to snap an eight-match losing streak on the road. If the 49ers win Friday, UAB needs UTSA to lose at Florida Atlantic and at South Florida, plus one loss from Temple's road trip to Tulsa and Wichita State.
If Memphis pulls off the upset in Charlotte, many different scenarios open up, as UAB would hold the hypothetical head-to-head tiebreaker over the 49ers if both teams are tied at 7-9. The Blazers would need Temple to lose one match or for UTSA to lose both matches.
BACK-TO-BACK OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Crook is the reigning back-to-back American Offensive Player of the Week after another 2-0 week, including the Blazers' upset win over South Florida. Crook averaged 5.00 kills per set for the second consecutive week with 35 kills in seven sets last week. Crook added seven total blocks and 14 digs to her stat line throughout the two wins.
The Ohatchee, Ala., native has totaled 75 kills over the Blazers' win streak, hitting .297 on 172 attempts. Crook's stuffed opponents 14 times at the net and tallied 23 digs and three aces over the past four games.
A preseason unanimous all-conference team honoree, Crook now has four career offensive player of the week honors and is the first player to win back-to-back OPOTW awards this season.
FOUR IN A ROW...LOOKING FOR MORE
The Blazers are on their second four-match win streak of the season and are looking to break through a wall that has stood for half a decade. A fifth consecutive victory would mark the first time the Blazers have done so under Betsy Freeburg. The last time UAB won five matches in a row was September 2019. If UAB sweeps the weekend, it would be the first time the Blazers have won six in a row since UAB won nine straight in October 2012.
All four of the UAB's wins have come in conference play, marking the longest conference winning streak since the stretch in October 2012, when eight of the nine wins came against conference opponents.
UAB is 3-0 in November and can tally its most wins in the month since 2012 (four wins) or 2011 (five wins).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
East Carolina
East Carolina is one of three teams below the Blazers in the American standings and RPI ranking (162). The other two teams below UAB were both swept in the season series against the Blazers.
The Pirates ride a five-match losing streak into the weekend, including a tough stretch vs South Florida and Rice before heading on the road to Wichita State and Tulsa. East Carolina's three conference wins have come in sweeps vs Tulane and Charlotte, and a five-set victory at Temple.
ECU's signature win on the season was a five-set win against Wake Forest in the non-conference. The win over the Demon Deacons came just ahead of a five-set loss to Kansas State and taking a set off of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
The Pirates do not rank in the top 100 in any major statistics. However, ECU does rank well among American teams in service aces. ECU is third in the American with 1.54 aces per set.
Charlotte
Charlotte just snapped a five-match losing streak of its own with a 3-1 win at Wichita State. Prior, the 49ers lost at ECU, Temple, and Tulsa, and in home matches against USF and Rice. Charlotte did not play any notable non-conference opponents, but won nine straight heading into conference play. The 49ers' key wins have been a season sweep over Florida Atlantic and a 3-0 away win at North Texas.
Charlotte ranks 10th in the country in digs per set with 17.09. The 49ers also rank high in team attacks per set (36th, 36.64), assists per set (75th, 12.32, and blocks per set (81st, 2.37).
Annika Thompson tops the American with 5.09 digs per set, ranking 11th in the country. She leads the American with four Defensive Player of the Week nods.
A LOOK AROUND THE AMERICAN
Four American teams went 2-0 last week, all making a huge impact on their seasons. UAB's wins over Memphis and South Florida kept the Blazers in the postseason race, extending their win streak to four.
Rice defeated both North Texas and Temple, clinching the American regular season championship and the outright No. 1 seed at next week's championships.
UTSA put itself in a prime position to clinch a spot in the American championships after it had fallen out of the top eight the week prior. The Roadrunners picked up big wins over Temple and Tulane, now only needing one win this week to clinch a spot in the championships.
Tulsa swept its week against the Carolinas, defeating Charlotte and East Carolina in straight sets. The Golden Hurricane propelled itself into the top four, tied with North Texas for third, and now just a game back of South Florida. With a favorable schedule for the final week, Tulsa is gunning for the two-seed.
FOLLOW LIVE
Friday, Nov. 14 at East Carolina, 5 p.m. CT | Watch | Live Stats
Sunday, Nov. 16 at Charlotte, 12 p.m. CT | Watch | Live Stats
THE PATH TO TAMPA
Of the 128 combinations of results among the four teams battling for the final two tournament spots, 16 of them result in UAB heading to Tampa next week. All 16 combinations need UAB to defeat both East Carolina and Charlotte, finishing the regular season 7-9.
Only three combinations can stem from Charlotte defeating Memphis on Friday night; the other 13 need Memphis to snap an eight-match losing streak on the road. If the 49ers win Friday, UAB needs UTSA to lose at Florida Atlantic and at South Florida, plus one loss from Temple's road trip to Tulsa and Wichita State.
If Memphis pulls off the upset in Charlotte, many different scenarios open up, as UAB would hold the hypothetical head-to-head tiebreaker over the 49ers if both teams are tied at 7-9. The Blazers would need Temple to lose one match or for UTSA to lose both matches.
BACK-TO-BACK OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Crook is the reigning back-to-back American Offensive Player of the Week after another 2-0 week, including the Blazers' upset win over South Florida. Crook averaged 5.00 kills per set for the second consecutive week with 35 kills in seven sets last week. Crook added seven total blocks and 14 digs to her stat line throughout the two wins.
The Ohatchee, Ala., native has totaled 75 kills over the Blazers' win streak, hitting .297 on 172 attempts. Crook's stuffed opponents 14 times at the net and tallied 23 digs and three aces over the past four games.
A preseason unanimous all-conference team honoree, Crook now has four career offensive player of the week honors and is the first player to win back-to-back OPOTW awards this season.
FOUR IN A ROW...LOOKING FOR MORE
The Blazers are on their second four-match win streak of the season and are looking to break through a wall that has stood for half a decade. A fifth consecutive victory would mark the first time the Blazers have done so under Betsy Freeburg. The last time UAB won five matches in a row was September 2019. If UAB sweeps the weekend, it would be the first time the Blazers have won six in a row since UAB won nine straight in October 2012.
All four of the UAB's wins have come in conference play, marking the longest conference winning streak since the stretch in October 2012, when eight of the nine wins came against conference opponents.
UAB is 3-0 in November and can tally its most wins in the month since 2012 (four wins) or 2011 (five wins).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
East Carolina
East Carolina is one of three teams below the Blazers in the American standings and RPI ranking (162). The other two teams below UAB were both swept in the season series against the Blazers.
The Pirates ride a five-match losing streak into the weekend, including a tough stretch vs South Florida and Rice before heading on the road to Wichita State and Tulsa. East Carolina's three conference wins have come in sweeps vs Tulane and Charlotte, and a five-set victory at Temple.
ECU's signature win on the season was a five-set win against Wake Forest in the non-conference. The win over the Demon Deacons came just ahead of a five-set loss to Kansas State and taking a set off of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
The Pirates do not rank in the top 100 in any major statistics. However, ECU does rank well among American teams in service aces. ECU is third in the American with 1.54 aces per set.
Charlotte
Charlotte just snapped a five-match losing streak of its own with a 3-1 win at Wichita State. Prior, the 49ers lost at ECU, Temple, and Tulsa, and in home matches against USF and Rice. Charlotte did not play any notable non-conference opponents, but won nine straight heading into conference play. The 49ers' key wins have been a season sweep over Florida Atlantic and a 3-0 away win at North Texas.
Charlotte ranks 10th in the country in digs per set with 17.09. The 49ers also rank high in team attacks per set (36th, 36.64), assists per set (75th, 12.32, and blocks per set (81st, 2.37).
Annika Thompson tops the American with 5.09 digs per set, ranking 11th in the country. She leads the American with four Defensive Player of the Week nods.
A LOOK AROUND THE AMERICAN
Four American teams went 2-0 last week, all making a huge impact on their seasons. UAB's wins over Memphis and South Florida kept the Blazers in the postseason race, extending their win streak to four.
Rice defeated both North Texas and Temple, clinching the American regular season championship and the outright No. 1 seed at next week's championships.
UTSA put itself in a prime position to clinch a spot in the American championships after it had fallen out of the top eight the week prior. The Roadrunners picked up big wins over Temple and Tulane, now only needing one win this week to clinch a spot in the championships.
Tulsa swept its week against the Carolinas, defeating Charlotte and East Carolina in straight sets. The Golden Hurricane propelled itself into the top four, tied with North Texas for third, and now just a game back of South Florida. With a favorable schedule for the final week, Tulsa is gunning for the two-seed.
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's VolleyballHooks with the HIT & TD 💪 #uabathletics #winasone #collegefootball #ncaafootball
Wednesday, November 12
UAB MBB vs Alabama St | Post Game Press Conference
Wednesday, November 12
Battle for the bones SECURED 🦴 #uabathletics #winasone #collegefootball #ncaafootball
Tuesday, November 11
Monday Morning with Mort | Week 12
Tuesday, November 11
