Aug. 12, 2009
As the start of the season nears, uabsports.com takes a position-by-position look at the 2009 Blazer volleyball squad. The team is currently in fall practice, preparing for its season-opening match Aug. 28. Continue to check back over the next week and a half for an in-depth look at the 2009 Blazers, starting today with the outside hitter position. Here's a look at what is ahead:
Wed., Aug. 12 -- Outside Hitter
Mon., Aug. 17 -- Opposite and Middle Blocker
Thurs., Aug. 20 -- Setter and Defensive Specialist
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Led by senior Andrea Lalic, UAB returns three players at the outside hitter position who saw significant action in 2008.
Lalic is back as the most experienced player both at the outside hitter position and on the Blazer team, in general. Having played regularly since her freshman season, Lalic owns a career kills-per-set average of 2.20 and is coming off a 2008 season in which she averaged a career-best 2.52. That number ranked third on a team full of talented offensive players.
"Andrea is the senior that's been here the longest," Messersmith said. "She'll be one of our biggest offensive powers. She can hit from anywhere along the net, and she's played a little at each position, so that's really helped in her versatility."
Lalic leads a group of players who will try to make up for the loss of 2008 honorable mention All-American Ivana Bozic, who finished her career third in school history with 1,874 kills.
Lalic is joined by another accomplished returner in fellow senior Savannah Pegg. One of two former Alabama Gatorade Players of the Year on the roster, Pegg returned to her home state in 2008 after spending her first two years of college volleyball at Middle Tennessee. She averaged a career-best 2.25 kills per set last season and came on strong down the stretch with at least five kills in each of the final six matches.
"Savannah is a powerful player," Messersmith said. "We'll look to her to be one of our main offensive players, as well. She's one of our strongest players, and she hits a really heavy ball. She's worked hard on different shots and really improved her shot selection."
Like Pegg, Jordan McDonald left the state of Alabama after high school. But she spent only one season at West Georgia before coming home to UAB for her sophomore campaign last season. The Birmingham native can play both the outside and right side positions. McDonald posted 1.88 kills per set in 2008 and owns a 2.59 average over her two collegiate seasons.
"Jordan is one of our better athletes for sure," Messersmith said. "We haven't really decided where we're going to play her, but we know that she'll be on the floor. Her quickness and her versatility will allow us to swing her from a lot of different positions and a lot of different zones on the net."
Rounding out the outside hitting corps, freshman Whitney Hudson joins the Blazer program in 2009. Another product of the Birmingham metro area, Hudson played her prep volleyball at nearby Pelham High School.
"Whitney probably has the best ball control of any of the kids we have," Messersmith said. "She's a great passer and great defensive player, plus she hits the ball a ton. A lot of people would say she's the best player that came out of the city this year."
As a team, UAB will have a different look than the 2008 squad that went 27-8 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Still, the Blazers hope they can continue to build on the tradition that has been established with three consecutive 20-win campaigns.
The Blazers will take the court for the first time in 2009 the weekend of Aug. 28-29 when they travel to the War Eagle Invitational in Auburn, Ala., to take on in-state foes Alabama A&M and Auburn.
