BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Freshman Samantha Hicks tallied a team-high 10 digs to go along with two kills in Louisiana Tech volleyball's 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-14) setback at UAB on Sunday afternoon.
 
After dropping the first set 25-19, the Lady Techsters came out strong in the second stanza, building a 14-11 lead following four straight LA Tech points. Following a service error from UAB's Feranda Maida tied the set at 11-11, the front-row duo of freshman Morgan Smith and senior Carter Mirich elevated for blocks to secure two separate points for the visitors.
 
UAB countered with a 3-0 run to knot the set at 14-14 before the two sides traded points until the score hit 20-20, where the Blazers reeled off another 3-0 spurt to put distance between them and the Lady Techsters. LA Tech limited UAB to just a .147 hitting percentage in the second set.
 
"Overall, we felt we handled UAB's serve much better today and gave ourselves more chances, but we still must find a way to convert more of those in-system first contacts to kills," head coach Amber McCray said. "Freshman Morgan Smith was a bright spot again today leading us in kills, hitting efficiency and blocks.
 
"Every match we believe we have moments where everything clicks, so we will keep working to find some consistency in building on those."
 
UAB's Alex Kells led the match in kills for the second straight day, recording 13 kills while hitting .219 for the match. Maida also reached double figures with 11 kills of her own.
 
Facing a 22-13 deficit in the first set, the Lady Techsters scored six of the next seven points to cut the Blazers' lead to just four points at 23-19. Smith, sophomore Laura Ehieze and freshman Faith Menary all recorded kills to contribute to the LA Tech run.
 
The Blazers pulled away from LA Tech in the final set with a pair of timely runs. With the score tied at 9-9, UAB tallied four straight points to jump ahead 13-9. The Blazers tallied a six-point spurt later in the set to clinch the match victory.
 
Smith led the Techsters in kills (five), hitting percentage (.417) and total blocks (five) on Sunday. Setter Abigail Hildenbrand reached double figures to pace Tech with 10 assists.
 
LA Tech's next Conference USA series will bring the Lady Techsters back to the Thomas Assembly Center. Louisiana Tech will host UTSA on Sunday, March 7, and Monday, March 8, in the TAC.
 
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