UAB
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V O L L E Y B A L L
Coaching Staff
Kerry Messersmith
Head Coach | 8th Season Chadron State, 1986
Entering her eighth season at the helm of the UAB program, Kerry Messersmith has showcased continued success in leading the Blazers, evident by four 23-plus win seasons and six straight seasons finishing .500 or better in Conference USA action.
The Messersmith File Career Record. . . . . . . . 625-338 (25 seasons) NCAA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372-225 (16 seasons) Division I . . . . . . . . . . . 267-138 (12 seasons) Head Coaching Experience 2006-Present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . UAB (151-86) 2001-05. . . . . . . . Georgia Southern (116-52) 1997-00. . . . . . Arizona Western CC (129-65) 1994-95. . . . . . . . . . . Chadron State (46-29) 1991-93. . . . . . . . . . . Pittsburg State (59-58) 1989-90. . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Scott CC (63-25) 1987-88. . . . . . . . . Allen County CC (61-23) NCAA Tournament Appearances 2001 NCAA First Round (Georgia Southern) 2003 NCAA First Round (Georgia Southern) 2006 NCAA First Round (UAB) 2008 NCAA Second Round (UAB) Education Bachelor’s: Chadron State (1986) Family Husband: Hal Children: Meghan (26) and Brynnley (22) Resides Vestavia Hills, Ala.
Messersmith guided UAB to its second consecutive 20 win season with an overall record of 20-14 in 2012. The Blazers finished third in the conference with an 11-5 record in C-USA play. Under her tuteledge, All-American Sam Serley set a UAB single season record in blocks and led the conference in hitting percentage. In 2011, the Blazers were yet again one of the top programs in the league, finishing second in the standings at 23-9 overall and 13-7 against C-USA foes as Messersmith earned the C-USA Co-Coach of the Year award for the first time leading the Blazers. The 13 victories in conference action tied Messersmith’s 2008 squad for the most in program history and the Green and Gold also recorded a 13-match win streak last season, the second longest in UAB lore. Messersmith reached a legendary milestone during the 2011 campaign, earning her 600th career coaching victory when UAB defeated Rice, 3-1, on October 23 at Bartow Arena. Entering her 25th season on the sidelines, Messersmith boasts a career record of 605-324 (.651). In the two seasons prior to Messersmith’s arrival in 2006, the Blazers were a combined 15-37, including a 1-24 campaign in 2004. The program had never won a Conference USA Championship and had never earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. In the six seasons since she set foot in Birmingham, UAB has made three appearances in the C-USA Championship finals, competed in two NCAA tournaments and posted an overall record of 13172 (67-37 C-USA). Messersmith’s .645 winning percentage at the school is the highest in program history. The Blazers posted two AVCA All-Midwest Region selections in Sam Serley (first team) and Heather Thomas (honorable mention) during the 2011 campaign. Serley and Thomas were also recognized by the conference, earning first and second team honors, respectively. In addition, six times a player won C-USA Player of the Week accolades, five coming on defense. 6
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Messersmith has guided numerous players to notch a spot in several statistics in the UAB record book. Most recently, Thomas, a 2012 graduate, set both the single season (631) and career (2,131) records for digs and finished fourth all-time in C-USA last season. Her inaugural UAB squad made an immediate breakthrough in 2006, winning the program’s first C-USA Championship and advancing to its first NCAA tournament. The team’s 27 wins were the most by a Blazer squad since 1991. Messersmith earned her 500th career win in the 2006 conference tournament semifinals, and another victory the next day sealed an NCAA trip. The Blazers lost in the first round to fourth-ranked UCLA, but they would be back. Following a 24-win campaign in 2007 and a conference tournament runner-up finish that left the team just shy of another postseason berth, UAB posted its best season ever in 2008. At 27-8, the 2008 UAB squad set a program record for winning percentage (.771) and won a schoolrecord 16 straight matches. The Blazers finished second in the C-USA standings at 13-3 and advanced to the league tournament finals for the third consecutive year under Messersmith, losing a hard-fought five-setter to top-seeded Tulane. But UAB was rewarded for its strong regular season with an NCAA tournament at-large berth and a trip to Lincoln, Neb. The Blazers swept Missouri State, 3-0, on Dec. 5 for the first NCAA tourney win in program history before falling in the second round