RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech volleyball team will wrap up a tough stretch of matches away from the Thomas Assembly center this weekend, taking on UAB (Friday, 7 p.m.) and Charlotte (Sunday, 12 p.m.) to close out the 2018 regular-season road schedule.
 
Following this weekend's set, LA Tech (6-18, 1-8 C-USA) will have played seven of its eight October matches on the road. LA Tech is 1-3 versus UAB in the all-time series, but owns a 4-1 all-time edge over Charlotte.
 
Throughout the team's first nine conference matches, freshman outside hitter Lara Hendricks has done most of the heavy lifting from an offensive standpoint. She ranks second on the team with 31 sets played in league action and leads the squad with 84 kills, averaging 2.71 kills per set.
 
Junior middle blocker Madeline Davis has also provided some exceptional play in league action, as her 73 kills rank second on the team. Her .316 hitting percentage and average of 1.25 blocks per set (40 total blocks) are both team bests.
 
Davis also ranks among the leaders in C-USA in several stat categories. Her blocks-per-set average in C-USA play of 1.25 is the third-highest average among all league leaders. Back on Sept. 23, in Tech's 3-1 win over Middle Tennessee, Davis put up eight total blocks, which is tied for the most in a four-set C-USA match this year. As a team, the Techsters rank eighth in total blocks in league play, averaging 2.06 per set.
 
For the season, junior Kaitlyn Adams has kept her place at the top of the team kills leaderboard, tallying 205 through the team's first 24 matches, good for an average of 2.81 per set.
 
As for Tech's first opponent in UAB (11-12, 3-6 C-USA), the Blazers have dropped four of their last five. Among C-USA teams, UAB ranks eighth in hitting percentage (.196), eighth in opponent hitting percentage (.210), seventh in assists per set (11.74), eighth in kills per set (12.46), fifth in blocks per set (2.11), fourth in service aces per set (1.41) and 13th in digs per set (13.99).
 
Tech's Sunday foe in Charlotte (13-12, 3-6 C-USA) has split its last four contests, with wins coming at home against Middle Tennessee and UAB. The 49ers rank sixth in hitting percentage (.222), second in opponent hitting percentage (.171), 10th in assists per set (11.37), 10th in kills per set (12.15), first in blocks per set (2.56), 12th in service aces per set (1.10) and fourth in digs per set (15.96).
 
Both matches this weekend will be streamed live on CUSA.tv (subscription required). Links to watch and follow live stats can be found on the LA Tech Volleyball schedule page. Be sure to follow @LATechVB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all breaking news and updates on the 2018 Lady Techsters.