Nov. 22, 2007

Match Notes

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB volleyball team, which lost in the Conference USA Tournament championship match in five games last Sunday, will look to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive Friday when it travels to play Middle Tennessee at 7:00 p.m. UAB is 24-9 on the year and will look to knock off a 32-2 Middle Tennessee team that is ranked 12th in this week's RKPI rankings.

UAB holds a 5-5 record against teams ranked in this week's RKPI top-100.

"We really believe that if we beat another quality opponent, especially the level of Middle Tennessee, that we will have a great shot at getting an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament," said UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith. "We've had a great season and have overcome some key injuries. We were very disappointed in the result in the championship game last weekend but we've moved our focus to Friday's match and trying to still get in the tournament."

UAB was the lone team to represent Conference USA in the NCAA Tournament in 2006. This season, Tulsa earned the league's automatic bid into the tournament by beating UAB in the C-USA Tournament championship Sunday.

Friday's match could be a historical one for UAB senior Brianna Galvin who needs 16 digs to tie Danielle Reaves for the all-time lead in career digs at UAB. This season, Galvin has posted the second-highest single-season digs total in school history with 503. She is the only Blazer to ever surpass 500 digs in a season, having done so twice.

"Brianna is a special player who plays with a lot of heart and a lot of determination," Messersmith said. "Brianna is going to do everything she can to see that we win on Friday so I'm expecting another inspiring performance from her."

UAB is led offensively by senior Fernanda Domingos and junior Casey Dent who are averaging 3.25 and 3.06 kills per game, respectively. Dent holds a team-high hitting percentage of .318. Both Domingos and Dent were second-team All-Conference USA selections.

Junior Lilly Domingos has emerged as an offensive threat for the Blazers as well, averaging 2.10 kills and 1.08 blocks per game. Lilly hit .361 and averaged 2.92 kills per game in the team's three matches at the C-USA Tournament.

Junior Nevena Stefanov, a first-team All-Conference USA selection, ranks second in C-USA with 12.75 assists per game.