Blazer volleyball blitzes Toledo to split day one matches at Bama Bash

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- After a 3-1 morning loss to Furman, the UAB volleyball team rebounded with its best all-around performance of the young season to close day one of the Bama Bash with an impressive 3-0 victory over Toledo.

The Blazers improved their record to 2-3 by handling the Rockets (3-2), which received votes in the latest AVCA coaches poll after an upset win last weekend against 12th-ranked Michigan.

Jordan McDonald and Sam Serley paced the offensive attack for the day with 20 and 19 kills, respectively, over the two matches. Libero Heather Thomas led all players in digs in both contests, finishing with 42 on the day.

UAB also turned in its top blocking performances of the season with nine total blocks in each match.

The Blazers return to the court Saturday at 1 p.m. to close out the Bama Bash against tournament host Alabama.

Match 2: UAB 3, Toledo 0

A balanced offensive attack and a change in strategy keyed UAB's 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-23) victory over Toledo on Friday afternoon.

Serley had 11 kills, while McDonald and Uzoh finished with nine each.

Uzoh needed just 13 attempts for her nine kills as she posted an attack percentage of at least .600 in both of the day's matches. It was her first action of the season after missing the opening weekend because of injury.

“Michelle is slowly working her way back into things, and she did a good job out there offensively,” UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith said. “It also helps to have her back to strengthen us in the middle. She’s one of the best middles in our conference.”

In addition to Uzoh's return, the Blazers made a tactical switch on Friday, going to a one-setter look in the Toledo match as opposed to the rotation of two setters they had used so far this season. The change paid dividends as Alison Woods racked up 33 assists and guided UAB back into the win column.

"We made the decision to go back to a 5-1 offense," Messersmith said. "We needed to get the right hitters in the right situations, and I feel like we took a step closer to finding it tonight.

"It was also beneficial having Alison on the court all the time. Becca (Howard) is a great setter, too, and she will still play a key role for us, but we felt like it was important to get Alison back on the court for all six rotations."

Defensively, Thomas posted a match-best 18 digs and Rachel Fairbanks finished with 11. McDonald was a part of five blocks, while Uzoh and Serley were each in on four.

For Toledo, Becca Reidy managed 11 kills and Amber DeWeerdt finished with a team-high 12 digs.

Match 1: UAB 3, Furman 1

UAB won the opening set but dropped the next three Friday morning to open the tournament with a 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-16, 26-24) loss to Furman.

McDonald led the offensive attack with 11 kills for UAB, while Thomas topped all players with 24 digs.

Despite the effort from Thomas, Furman (2-2) was able to out-dig UAB, 78-67. The Paladins placed three players in double-figure digs, led by Elle Ross with 21.

Furman also held a significant advantage in kills although neither team hit for a high percentage. The Paladins had three players with 11 kills or more, including a match-best 16 kills from Kelly Kirby. McDonald was the only UAB player in double-digits, while Serley added eight.

Serley was also in on five blocks as UAB racked up nine total blocks. Furman, though, had 10 blocks as a team.

UAB had an opportunity to force a fifth frame when a Furman service error gave the Blazers a pair of set points at 24-22 in the fourth. But a Caroline Adams kill and a UAB attack error evened the score and another attack error followed by an Alexis Shaffer kill gave the Paladins four straight points and the match.

The Blazers dominated the first set, leading by as many as nine points on two separate occasions and posting a 25-20 win before Furman bounced back for the final three.