LIVINGSTON, Alabama – The University of Alabama in Huntsville is the Gulf South Conference regular season champion. The Chargers secured the title with a 3-0 win at West Alabama Friday night.
The Chargers (22-2, 14-1 GSC) secured the No. 1 spot in the GSC and the right to host the GSC Volleyball Championship with its second win against the the Tigers (24-5, 11-4), who entered the night as the No. 2 team in the GSC standings and the last challenger to UAH's regular season championship.
Set 1 opened with a pair of UAH points as Ella Schumacher put the Chargers on the board first with a kill before Anna Clare Hutto served up an ace on the ensuing point. A four-point run for UAH lifted the Chargers to a 7-2 lead with a pair of blocks coming courtesy a combo from Kayla Ward and Emily Redman on both. On another run, this time five straight points, UAH earned its largest lead of the set of nine points with a 16-7 advantage. UAH kept up its momentum and secured the opening set win 25-15 as Mary Grace Bundrant provided the final kill.
The second set was more evenly keeled as both sides traded points, tying four times after the first 14 rallies. That final tie at 7-7, however, was the start of a four-point run for UAH that gave the Chargers a lead they never relinquished the remainder of the set. While the Tigers' attack kept West Alabama churning out points in bursts, the Chargers continued to apply pressure and systematically open up their lead to take a 20-12 advantage off a four-point run spurred on by a kill from Bundrant before Redman capped the run with back-to-back kills of her own. Despite a late charge from the Tigers, Bundrant once again delivered the set-winning kill to give UAH a 2-0 lead with a 25-21 Set 2 win.
While the opening of Set 3 saw a flurry of traded points through the first dozen exchanges, the Chargers left little to ponder about who would take the set as they mounted an early 9-6 advantage and a lead they never gave up the remainder of the way. The Tigers' next point brought West Alabama within two points, but a trio of UAH points ensured the Chargers' lead as the team never allowed the Tigers to get closer than four points the remainder of the set. West Alabama managed a three-point run to cut the Chargers' lead to 15-11, but UAH closed the set on a 10-6 advantage to secure a 25-17 win to also claim the match.
IN THE STATS
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Freshman Amelia Smith led UAH in kills with nine while Kayla Ward, Mary Grace Bundrant and Emily Redman each recorded eight kills. Bundrant and Smith held the team's highest attack percentages at 66.7 and 52.9 percent, respectively.
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Cooper Garrett and Anna Clare Hutto led the Chargers in assists with 17 and 16, respectively.
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UAH collected 30 total digs with Hutto notching a team-high seven while Garrett and Redman each recorded six while Sydney Durban added another five.
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The Chargers totaled 16 blocks in the win as Bundrant led the team with eight, including a solo stop, while Ward totaled seven with a solo. Garrett and Redman each had four block assists while Ella Schumacher and Smith totaled three as Smith also recorded the third of the Chargers' solo blocks.
COMING UP
The Chargers remain on the road with a match at in Clinton, Mississippi, at Mississippi Christian Saturday at 2 p.m.
