Photo by Andrew Brown / MTSU Sidelines
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raider volleyball team (6-18, 2-8) lost their second straight conference game on Sunday to the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers in Birmingham in four sets.
The loss is also their second to UAB on the season as they were previously defeated by the Blazers at home on Sept. 22 in a game that also ended in four sets.
The Blue Raiders had several notable players miss Sunday’s game due to injury, such as captain Regan Coughlin who is nursing a stress fracture and is unlikely to return during this season.
The Blue Raiders were also without Vonnie Covington and Taylor Hammill to start, and injuries only got worse during the game. Senior libero Sloan Sullivan slipped and injured her ankle, and her status for the rest of the season is unknown as of now.
As for the actual match, Makila York and Dora Peonia had solid games in an attempt to pick up the slack. York led the team with 13 kills, while Peonia chipped in 10 kills and five digs.
Freshman setter Maddie Sweeney filled in Hammill’s usual role as she recorded a team-high 34 assists and five digs.
UAB was lead by 6’4″ senior Petra Silic, who recorded 11 kills. Redshirt senior Gabby Deshotel added a double-double with 10 kills and 14 digs.
The win for UAB puts them at 4-5 in the conference, which ranks 9th in C-USA.
The Blue Raiders get a break from C-USA play on Wednesday when they take on in-state foe Tennessee State at home at 6 p.m.. MT will then continue conference play in El Paso to face UTEP on Sunday.
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