LIVINGSTON, Ala. – In a slugfest where every point counted, the West Alabama volleyball team was victorious against Christian Brothers University Friday evening. The Tigers defeated the Buccaneers in three straight sets (25-23, 25-19, 25-23) for their first 2021 season victory.
"It feels great to get our first win, especially through a bit of adversity and coming together to fight in the end," said Head Coach Hillary Lobenstein.
UWA (1-12, 1-6) played well defensively to put away the match, recording 73 digs on the night, the most of any 3-set game this season. The team also had three solo blocks and eight block assists. Leading the effort on the ground was outside hitter Madison Fisher with 16 digs and libero Mackenzie Wells with 15. Senior Beatriz Giordan and freshman Amelia Johnigan added three blocks each to the defensive effort at the net.
On the other side of the ball, The Tigers had 33 kills on 129 total attacks for a .178 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Nathalia Medeiros led the charge with 10 kills, while Fisher and Giordan had six each. Desiree Blount was the go-to setter for West Alabama to tally 28 assists.
"Desiree Blount did a great job running our offense," began Lobenstein when discussing key players. "Nathalia Medeiros and Beatriz Giordan dominated our front row, and MacKenzie Wells led our team and defense with effort and fight."
On Friday, Christian Brothers (2-17, 0-7) were let down by their errors. The Buccaneers tallied more kills and more digs than the Tigers but also had more errors. With 41 kills on 150 total attacks, CBU added 24 miscues to the equation for a .113 hitting percentage. On defense, the team had 78 digs and five blocks.
Tia Rizvi led the Buccaneers offense with a match-high 16 kills, and Kimmy Hammond led the defense with a game-high 23 digs. Other standouts for the Bucs were KaLea Davis with 31 assists and Maddie McGaha with four blocks.
West Alabama will return to the court in precisely seven days, traveling to Valdosta, Ga. to face Valdosta State. The Tigers will face the Blazers on Friday, Oct. 15. The first serve is set for 5 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. ET. Inside The Complex is located on the campus of Valdosta State.
To stay connected with the UWA volleyball team, follow @uwavolleyball on Instagram and @uwa_volleyball on Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
