Sept. 28, 2007

Match Notes

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -For the first time in program history, the UAB volleyball team will host a nationally televised match when it plays Memphis at 1 p.m. in Bartow Arena on Sunday. The match will be aired by CSTV on tape delay on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Youth 18-under will receive free admission to Sunday's match as part of Worldwide Day of Play.

UAB played in its first-ever nationally televised match in the Conference USA Tournament championship match against Memphis in 2006.

The Blazers will be looking to avenge their 3-0 loss at Memphis on Sept. 13. In the previous meeting, the Blazers played without standout setter Nevena Stefanov, who set the Conference USA record for assists by a sophomore in 2006 (1,739) and ranks third all-time at UAB in career assists (3,476). She is a coming off a 77 assists performance at Mercer on Tuesday.

Junior outside hitter Ivana Bozic leads the Blazers and ranks fifth in Conference USA with her 4.70 kills per game. Bozic has served 30 aces this season to rank eighth nationally and move her up to eighth all-time in C-USA with 164 career aces.

Other key offensive contributors for the Blazers this season are senior outside hitter Fernanda Domingos, who ranks second on the team at 3.00 kills per game, and junior middle blocker Casey Dent, who is averaging 2.61 kills per game and holds a team-best .371 hitting percentage.

On the defensive end, senior libero Brianna Galvin has continued to work her way up to becoming the school's all-time record holder for career digs. The San Carlos, Calif. native is currently fourth all-time at UAB with 1,355 career digs.

The Blazers beat Memphis in the 2006 Conference USA Tournament championship match to earn the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament. Bozic took matters into her own hands late in that match, helping the Blazers come back from a 2-0 deficit by putting away 23 kills on .321 hitting to earn C-USA Tournament MVP honors.

Memphis enters Sunday's match with a record of 12-6 (2-1 C-USA) after losing, 3-2 (30-32, 30-18, 20-30, 30-26, 15-12) at Southeast Missouri Wednesday night, despite Ashley Liford turning in a career-high 29 kills.

Shelby Burton leads the Tigers in kills per game (4.09), blocks per game (1.47) and points per game (5.55). Liford is averaging 3.75 kills per game to rank second.

Laura Cote runs the Memphis offense and is averaging 12.70 assists per game. Sunday's match will feature the two most prolific active setters in Conference USA as Cote ranks 13th in C-USA history with 3,956 career assists, while Stefanov is on her heels in 14th place with 3,476 career helpers.

Christine Bach holds the highest digs per game average on the team at 3.84.

After losing two-out-of-three, including the Conference USA Tournament championship match, against the Blazers last season, Memphis shut out UAB earlier this season in Memphis.

Liford led the Tigers in that match, recording her third straight double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs. Bozic led the Blazers with 10 kills, while Dent had seven kills and hit .400.