Birmingham, AL - After winning the opening game, Middle Tenneessee volleyball dropped three straight games to UAB (3-1) 30-19, 26-30, 24-30, 27-30 Tuesday night at Bartow Arena to fall to 2-3 on the season.
"UAB earned 40 percent of the match, we gave them the other 60 percent," Head Coach Lisa Kissee said. "Our upperclassmen have to step up and play a more consistent game."
The Lady Raiders looked strong in the opening game, but couldn't keep the Blazers at bay in the games that followed. Freshman Shakeithia Deckard continued her streak to four consecutive games with double figure kills, with 18 against the Blazers as well as 41 attacks. Dara McClean, a freshman from Belmont, Manitoba, Canada, recorded five aces in the match in just her second start as a Lady Raider.
"Dara played a very good all-around game," Kissee said. "Shakeithia had an outstanding offensive match through game three, but pressed a bit in game four because she wanted to win so much."
In the opening game of the match, UAB scored the first point, but after that Middle Tennessee reeled off seven unanswered points and never looked back. Freshman Dara McClean had two aces in the game and the strong attacking play of Deckard propelled MT to winning the opening game.
Middle Tennessee dropped the second game 26-30 as UAB took over from the first serve. The line-up Kissee was experimenting with was hampered when sophomore Karisse Baker was injured early in the game. She left the game with an ankle sprain and didn't return.
"Game two turned their way when Karisse went down," she said. "We have to be a stronger team and understand that is part of the game."
UAB came out of the locker room carrying with it the same game plan as the second game, to use their middle blockers to attack the Lady Raider defense. Middle Tennessee did make a run for it as the team scored five unanswered points, to pull to 19-15, behind the strong serving of sophomore Goldie Bilyeu and the attacks of Katie Thiesen and Deckard, however, the Blazers prevailed to take the third game 30-24. The Blazers finished the match with a 30-27 win in the fourth game off a kill by Blazer Kristie Lee.
Middle Tennessee will travel to Peoria, Illinois on Thursday September 6 to compete in the Bradley Invitational on Friday Sept. 7 and Saturday Sept. 8. The Lady Raiders will take on Austin Peay at 5 p.m. Friday, host Bradley at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and end the day with a 5 p.m. match with Western Illinois.
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