Blazers Win Third In A Row, Sweep Tigers

Wednesday, November 5

Birmingham, Ala.

7:00 p.m.

UAB

11-14,4-9American

Memphis

10-18,1-12American

Memphis

UAB

Blazers Win Third In A Row, Sweep Tigers

11/5/2025 10:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB Volleyball won its third consecutive conference match for the first time since joining the American Conference in 2023. The sweep over Memphis completes the season sweep over the Tigers for the first time since 2012.

Three Blazers recorded double-digit kills while hitting for a team .318 hitting percentage. UAB tallied just two attack errors in the first two sets combined, hitting over .300 in each set. Mia Reese recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 11 kills and 11 digs while adding four aces to her stat line.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Memphis jumped out to a 9-4 lead, forcing an early UAB timeout. The Blazers' stoppage stunted all Memphis momentum as five Tiger errors and a trio of UAB kills put the Blazers ahead 12-11. Neither team could create any momentum through the rest of the set, with the largest run being three UAB points, which included a pair of Reese aces. A powerful Jorda Crook kill, her sixth of the set, clinched the set win for the Blazers. UAB hit .394 in the opening frame with just one error.

UAB caught fire to start the second set, taking a 4-0 lead with a pair of Abby Jones kills. The Tigers responded to pull within a point, but straight UAB kills forced a Tiger timeout. Just as UAB did in the opening set, the Memphis timeout stalled the UAB attack as the Tigers went on a six-point run with five kills and an ace. UAB took advantage of yet another run, scoring five straight thanks to three Memphis attack errors. The run put the Blazers up six, enough cushion to ride out the rest of the set, winning 25-20. Crook and Jones combined to hit .455 in the set with 10 errorless kills on 22 attacks.

The Tigers slowly opened up a 12-7 lead to begin the third set, but a Reese kill and her fourth ace of the match closed the Memphis lead to two, forcing a Tiger timeout. A 7-3 run out of the timeout put the Blazers ahead in the set for the first time, a lead UAB would not lose. Back-to-back kills by Annastiina Tarkkanen and three straight Memphis errors put UAB up four late in the set. Memphis began to put together a late comeback with back-to-back-to-back blocks. However, Crook put an end to the set for the second time, clinching the set 25-23.

STANDOUTS
Crook led the Blazers in kills for the eighth-straight match. The reigning American Offensive Player of the Week finished the night with 14 kills and a pair of block assists.

Reese picked up her fifth double-double of the season with 11 kills and a team-high 11 digs. Reese also led all qualified UAB attackers, hitting .346 on 26 attacks. Reese tied her career high with four aces, the second time she's done so this season.

Annastiina Tarkkanen continued to thrive in the 5-1 system, this time with a match-high 35 assists, the most by a Blazer in a three-set match. Tarkkanen recorded her second-career two-kill match while adding an ace and a solo block for four total points.

UP NEXT
UAB welcomes South Florida to Bartow Arena for Senior Night on Friday, Nov. 7 for a 7 p.m. first serve. The Blazers will honor their lone senior, Izabella Carter, as they look to extend their win streak to four matches.