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HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville volleyball team improved to 5-0 in the new season with wins over Ouachita Baptist and Trevecca Nazarene in shutout fashion on Saturday in the final day of the Hilton Garden Inn South UAH Classic. UAH last started out 5-0 in the 2001 campaign.
 
UAH 3, Ouachita Baptist 0
 
The Chargers won the first match of the day by a 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-19) score, outhitting Ouachita Baptist .286 to .168 in the process. Freshman Anna LeDuc recorded her second double-double of the season, matching Olivia Bauman for a team-high in kills with 11 while also adding 11 digs, and Kirsten Giles helped UAH's offensive effort with 39 assists.
 
Defensively, Haley Hop collected a team-best 13 digs to help UAH own a 51-50 advantage in the category.
 
UAH overcame a slow start to earn the decisive victory, overcoming an 11-3 deficit in the first set on its way to the win. After committing five errors and hitting worse than -.200 in the first 14 points, the Chargers ripped off a 11-3 run of their own to tie the opener at 14-14 and would have just one more miscue to finish the frame hitting .262.
 
In the second set, Bauman helped the Chargers with five successful swings on 10 attempts for a strong .500 hitting mark, and the team combined for five blocks in the period to go in front 2-0.
 
The third frame then saw UAH hit a match-best .349 with Haley Snyder recording five kills and swinging at a .625 clip to give her a total of nine good attacks on the day to go along with assisting on a team-high four blocks, and Giles helped UAH put the match away as she recorded 14 of her assists in the set.
 
UAH 3, Trevecca Nazarene 0
 
UAH continued its torrid pace of play in its second contest of the day, dropping Trevecca Nazarene in three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-15 and 25-23. Anna Claire Johnson and Snyder shared the team lead with nine kills apiece, with Snyder posting a .444 hitting percentage in the victory.
 
Behind Johnson's set-high four kills, the Chargers led for much of the first set en route to the opening frame victory, and the hosts went in front 2-0 by comfortably winning the second set with Snyder having a strong showing at the service line with four aces in the frame to help key the 10-point win.
 
The Chargers and Trojans battled in the third and final frame, as neither team led by more than five for the duration of the set. UAH trailed 15-10 to TNU midway through the stanza, before the Blue & White managed a five-point run to overtake the lead later in the set at 20-19 with senior Alexis Deal serving.
 
TNU tied the contest at 23-23 before consecutive kills by Rachel Brugman and Johnson gave the Chargers the lead and then the 25-23 set victory. Snyder keyed the offense in the final set with four kills on a .444 swing rate, while Hop anchored the defense with six digs to give her a team-high total of 13 scoops.
 
The Blue & White look ahead to four matches next weekend in the Francis Marion Tournament held in Florence, South Carolina, where the Chargers will matchup with North Greenville and FMU on Friday and Mount Olive and Georgia College on Saturday.