RICHMOND, Ky. –The Eastern Kentucky volleyball team used a match-high 15 kills and .609 attack percentage from senior Liz Guard to hand UAB its first loss, 3-0, of the year in the first round of the Nike Challenge at McBrayer Arena earlier this afternoon. Game scores were 30-15, 30-18 and 30-17.

Guard tallied double-digit kills for the eighth time this season and the Colonels (6-3) tied a season-high with a .387 hitting percentage. Sophomore Brittany Nobilio had a match-high 14 digs.

The two teams battled back and forth in the early going of game one, but after UAB (8-1) closed to 14-11, the Colonels went on a 16-4 run to close the game, getting consecutive kills from junior Jessica Sabath and Guard to close it out, giving EKU its largest margin of victory this season.

The Blazers came out strong in game two, twice taking one-points leads, but a Guard kill tied the score at 12, igniting a 10-3 Colonel run and then coasting to the 12-point victory.

EKU did not let up in the third game, taking leads of 10-4 and 15-5 on the strength of three kills from sophomore Amy Arlinghaus and two kills from Guard. Its lead would not fall below nine the rest of the way as the Colonels ended the Blazers' perfect record.

In the tournament's first game, Marquette defeated UNC-Greensboro by scores of 30-16, 30-20 and 30-19. Theresa Coughlin led the Golden Eagles with 15 kills.

The Colonels will play the second and final match of the Nike Invitational tonight at 7: 00 p.m. against Marquette.