East Carolina University
UAB
East Carolina Ends Road Swing With 3-0 Loss
September 25, 2011 | Volleyball
Sept. 25, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - East Carolina's road woes continued Sunday, as UAB recorded a 3-0 win at Bartow Arena. The Pirates are now 2-10 overall and 0-3 in Conference USA action while the Blazers improve to 13-2 and 3-0.
Jackie Varnum led the way on offense with five kills to go along with four-kill performances by Kelly Derby and Whitney Campbell. In the back row, Shelby Beasley collected a match-high 17 digs, averaging 5.67 per set. Varnum also added three total blocks to her output.
ECU struggled offensively, downing just 21 kills as compared to 44 for the home side. The Blazers also held the upper hand in digs (54-45) and total blocks (11.0-5.0).
UAB took control from the start of set one, jumping out to a 7-1 advantage. A kill by Derby pulled the Pirates to within five at 11-6, but ECU could not draw any closer than four the rest of the frame as the Blazers used a service error and a kill from Kate Morrell to shut the Pirates down.
East Carolina took a 7-6 lead off a bad set call on Becca Howard, but UAB scored four-straight points to go in front by three and force a timeout from the Pirate bench. The Blazers did not relent from there, taking advantages of 16-8 and 20-12 on the way to snatching a 2-0 lead in the match.
With the score tied at five in the third interval, UAB received a solo block from Sam Serley to go ahead by three. ECU kept the score close, but the Blazers would reach 13 points before a Campbell kill stopped the run. UAB was able to sprint to the finish, allowing the Pirates just four more points to complete the sweep.
East Carolina returns home for the beginning of a four-match homestand Friday, Sept. 30, facing UCF at Minges Coliseum. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
