Hampton Inn Providence UAH Classic Info
STARTING FRESH: The Chargers open the 2017 campaign with a total of five matches in the UAH Classic – presented by Hampton Inn Providence – this Thursday through Saturday at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall, following a 2016 season in which the squad owned a 16-15 overall record and an 11-4 mark in Huntsville. UAH returns 16 players from last year's roster, while four newcomers join second-year head coach
Dr. Cade Smith's squad for 2017.
UAH CLASSIC: The Blue & White welcome five visiting squads to the Rocket City for the fourth-annual UAH Classic beginning this Thursday, which includes Auburn Montgomery, Harding, LeMoyne Owen, Trevecca Nazarene and Tuskegee. UAH boasts a record of 10-2 in the history of the UAH Classic with wins coming in each of the past nine UAH Classic contests.
ON THE ATTACK: UAH returns its top four attackers from the 2016 campaign, paced by
Anna Claire Johnson who had a team-high 292 kills last season to give her a career total of 856 kills entering her senior season.
Anna LeDuc followed Johnson with 234 kills in 2016, while
Caroline Sanford (187 kills) and
Lorah Yonce (167 kills) rounded out the leading four attackers for the Chargers.
ANCHOR: Haley Hop led the Chargers defensively for the second straight season in 2016 with 420 digs and an average of 3.96 digs per set, finishing the campaign rated seventh in the GSC in total digs and sixth in digs per set.
HELPING HANDS: Kirsten Giles – the squad's primary setter for the previous two seasons – begins her senior year with 2409 assists, after posting 1032 assists and 9.21 assists per set in 2016 to rank in the top five in both categories in the GSC. Giles additionally rated second on the squad in 2016 with 313 digs and owned a .323 hitting percentage on 124 kills.
CAMPAIGN AHEAD: The Chargers have 36 matches on the slate for the 2017 regular season, with the first five being played at Spragins Hall in the UAH Classic starting Thursday night. Following this weekend's matches, UAH hits the road to participate in the Emmanuel College Tournament from Sept. 8-9 in Franklin Springs, Georgia, with matchups slated against Southern Wesleyan, Clark Atlanta, Texas A&M International and Emmanuel.
MATCHUP HISTORIES: UAH enters the season with an all-time series record of 1-15 against Harding, 2-0 against LeMoyne Owen, 14-3 against Trevecca Nazarene, and 1-0 against Tuskegee. The Chargers will matchup against Auburn Montgomery – one of the newest members of the GSC – for the first two times in program history this weekend.
