PENSACOLA, Fla. – Appearing in the Gulf South Conference Volleyball Tournament for the first time since 2005, the sixth-seeded University of Alabama in Huntsville volleyball team (10-24) upset the third-seeded Christian Brothers (24-10) by a score of 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 29-27). With the win, UAH advances to the semifinal Friday night when the squad will face No. 2 seed North Alabama at 7:30 p.m.

The last time UAH appeared in the semifinal round of the GSC Tournament also came in 2005, in which the Lady Chargers fell to eventual-champion North Alabama, 3-0. UAH has advanced to the finals twice in program history in 1995 and 1997.

For the match, UAH hit at a .271 clip while holding Christian Brothers to a .116 hitting percentage. Senior Jessica Ruple led a trio of Lady Chargers in double-digit kills with a match-high 14 kills. Sophomore Angela Thurmond and junior Kelsey Williams added 12 and 10 kills, respectively.

In a close first set, the Lady Chargers prevailed with a 25-23 victory over the Lady Bucs. Early on, Christian Brothers held a 9-6 lead but UAH kept pace, eventually gaining a 16-15 advantage and never relinquished the lead in the game.

UAH carried over momentum gained from game one into the second set, jumping out to a 19-9 lead and essentially just dominating the second set en route to a 25-14 win. Through two sets, the Lady Chargers were hitting at a .290 clip, while holding the Lady Bucs to just a .090 hitting percentage.

Christian Brothers looked strong early in the third set, leading early by a score of 9-2. UAH, however, stormed back by taking 11 of the next 16 points to close the gap to 14-13 in the Lady Bucs favor. From there, both teams battled for points with UAH eventually pushing through for the 29-27 victory in extra points.

UAH will return to the court at the UWF Field House Friday night at 7:30 p.m. to face North Alabama in the semifinal. The Lady Chargers will need to take down the Lions, who have won 29-straight over UAH, for a chance at the title.