RUSTON, La. -- Louisiana Tech's volleyball team will play its final two matches of the 2021 season this weekend when the Lady Techsters host UAB inside the Thomas Assembly Center. Friday's match will begin at 6 p.m., while Saturday's match will start at 2 p.m.

Louisiana Tech will recognize its lone senior Jordyn Carswell on Saturday before the game as part of Senior Day.

MATCH INFORMATION
Date/Time: Friday, Nov. 5 | 6 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 6 | 2 p.m.
Location: Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, La.)
Series: UAB leads 6-3
Live Stream: Here (Friday) | Here (Saturday)
Live Stats:  Here

About Louisiana Tech (9-17, 1-9 C-USA)
LA Tech played its final two road Conferences USA matches at Southern Miss this past weekend. The Lady Techsters dropped their first match 3-0 on Friday before claiming their first C-USA win, 3-1, since 2019 on Saturday.

LA Tech and the Golden Eagles battled back in forth in the opening frame of Saturday's match before the Lady Techsters pulled away late to win the set 26-24. After Southern Miss snagged the second stanza, LA Tech brought tons of energy and fight to take set three, 25-23, and set four, 25-21. Sophomore Faith Menary led the way recording a team-high 15 kills, while sophomore Carly Doros hit a team-best .444 with eight kills of her own.

Menary paces the Lady Techsters offense with 220 kills (2.86 k/s), while sophomore's Carly Doros (158 kills, 1.76 k/s) and Morgan Smith (143 kills, 1.57 k/s) and senior Jordyn Carswell (141 kills, 2.10 k/s) have provided extra sparks to the Tech offense.

Sophomore Mallory Meers directs LA Tech's offense with 555 assists (6.94 a/s), with junior Laura De Pra assisting with setting duties dishing out 215 assists (5.12 a/s) herself.

The Lady Techsters back row has been dominant all season long with freshman Libero McKenzie Johnson leading Tech in digs (411), digs per set (5.27) and aces (26). Johnson's 5.27 digs per set ranks her 14th nationally and 2nd amongst all freshman. Johnson also set a school record collecting 36 digs in a single match against North Texas on Oct. 2.  

Sophomore Meghan Dunnigan has added 213 digs (2.42 d/s) for the Lady Techsters back row that ranks 32nd nationally with 16.64 digs per set and 17th in total digs at 1,514. Five Lady Techsters are averaging multiple digs per set while having collected 150 or more digs, including Johnson and Dunnigan.

Defensively Smith leads the team and ranks sixth in C-USA in total blocks with 88 (0.97 b/s) while also holding a team-best .282 hitting percentage. Doros has contributed 68 total blocks (0.76 b/s) while freshman Jaena Bell has collect 35 respectfully.
 
The Lady Techsters average 11.05 kills, 10.00 assists, 1.32 aces, 16.64 digs and 2.02 blocks per set, while hitting .156 as a team.

About UAB (9-13, 4-5 C-USA)
UAB enters the weekend with a 9-13 overall record and a 4-5 mark in Conference USA play. The Blazers have dropped their last three matches, including a pair of contest last weekend to Rice. UAB has picked up conference wins this season over Southern Miss, Old Dominion, UTSA and UTEP.

Junior Fernanda Maida paces the Blazers offense with 354 kills (4.99 k/s), ranking second in C-USA for most kills, while junior Alex Kells is another dangerous weapon with 281 kills (3.56 k/s) for the Blazers. Sophomore Lidya Canturk directs the UAB offense with 562 assists (6.58 a/s). Defensively, four players have recorded 145 or more digs this season with freshman libero Erin Powers leading the way with 335 digs (4.19 d/s), the fifth most digs in Conference USA this season. Tatijana Fucka anchors the Blazers front row defense with 46 total blocks (0.96 b/s) while Kiana Mack (44 blocks) and Chole Rodriguez (42 blocks) have each contributed for UAB this season.

UAB averages 12.95 kills, 11.93 assists, 1.58 aces, 13.31 digs and 1.85 blocks per set while hitting .217 as a team.

Series History
UAB leads LA Tech 6-3 in the overall series that dates back to Tech's first year in Conference USA. The Lady Techsters last knocked off the Blazers in the C-USA opener in 2019, securing a 3-1 victory over UAB in the Thomas Assembly Center. The Blazers capture wins in the previous two meetings, topping the Lady Techsters 3-0 twice last season. 

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