Box Score PENSACOLA, Fla. – After battling until the very end, the University of Alabama in Huntsville volleyball team came up short in the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference to Christian Brothers, falling 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Lady Chargers (12-21) season will come to a close as the Lady Bucs (20-11) made more plays late in sets to advance to the Gulf South Conference Tournament Championship tomorrow against West Florida.
 
Despite leading 24-22 in the opening set, UAH couldn't hold off the Christian Brothers' attack and fell 26-24. It was a golden opportunity for UAH to get off to a 1-0 lead, but coupled by attack errors and a pair of CBU kills, the blue and white let a good chance slip away.
 
UAH found itself in a similar situation in the second set and this time made enough plays to earn the 25-22 set victory. The Lady Chargers were tied at 22-22, but three attack errors and an Alexis Deal kill knotted the match at 1-1 with a set victory.
 
Christian Brothers ran the third set rather quickly, taking down UAH 25-8 without much resistance.
 
In their final ditch effort, the Lady Chargers were again right in the set late. Holding a 21-19 lead, CBU then went on a 6-0 run to win the set and the match.
 
UAH will certainly leave the conference tournament match feeling as if they had it for the taking. In the end, their season will come to a close with a 12-21 record and a GSC Tournament semifinal in which they came up just short.
 
It will be the final match for both Kelsey Williams and Kelly Wilson, who again did their part as veterans. Williams led UAH in kills with 15 and also added four blocks. Wilson's 21 assists were tops on the team.
 
The two will leave UAH with their mark on the program, as they both leave ranked in the top five in total matches played. Both careers also rank in the top 10 in other multiple categories, including assists and service aces.
 
The Lady Chargers season will end in Pensacola, Fla., but their future looks as bright as ever. While the losses of Williams and Wilson will be big, there is experience and talent aplenty coming back next season.
 
Stacey Sargent, who earned GSC All-Second Team, will return for her senior season. A vast amount of young players earned quality experience in 2012. Haley Snyder, Olivia Bauman and Kennedie Lariscy all put in strong freshman campaigns.
 
Ashton Baker will return as the team's go-to setter in 2013, while Kendall Knisley and Alexis Deal will also bring back great experience at the net.
 
While the season didn't go quite as planned in 2012, UAH will be back in 2013 with more optimism than ever before.