MONTGOMERY – The University of Alabama in Huntsville earned another road win in the Gulf South Conference with a 3-1 victory at AUM Friday afternoon.
The early goings were back and forth for the Chargers (15-2, 7-1 GSC) and Warhawks (2-17, 0-8) as neither side relented. AUm got on the board first and took the initial lead 4-2 before UAH leveled the score at five apiece in the midst of a four-point swing that gave the Chargers an eventual 6-5 lead on a Cooper Garrett kill. UAH led by as much as five points, 12-7, before AUM managed its response to knot the score at 14 each. From there on, neither side was able to break away for more than a three-point lead at any given point before the teams pushed to extra play. While UAH pushed to a set point, 25-24, AUM took the final three points to take Set 1, 27-25.
Set 2 had all the making of a similar battle through the first few exchanges before UAH began to exert its control on the set with a four-point run, punctuated by another Garrett kill and a Brooklyn Stiles service ace, to take a 8-4 lead. UAH held a healthy advantage the remainder of the set, earning leads of six points on multiple occasions before extending to a seven-point lead, 21-14, with a kill from Ella Schumacher before pushing to a set point with an eight-point lead, 24-16, from a Mary Grace Bundrant kill. Though AUM managed to stave off the Chargers' set win with three more points for the home side, Anna Clare Hutto earned a set-winning kill to take Set 2, 25-19.
The third set began with a UAH point, courtesy of the Chargers' libero Stiles getting a kill. Both sides held a fairly even exchange of points over the next few services before the Chargers took a six-point lead, 11-5, on a five-point run that began with a Garrett kill and ended on a Emily Redman kill. UAH continued to systematically build on its lead as it eventually took a 17-9 lead on the heels of a four-point run. While AUM was able to trade points through the remainder of the set with the Chargers, UAH's Kayla Ward ended the set with another kill to take the 2-1 advantage on a 25-17 Set 2 win.
In the fourth set, AUM earned the opening point, but the Warhawks lead quickly evaporated as UAH scored the next three points. The set matched the routine of the previous three as both sides kept up a tight contest, though the Chargers began to pull away late. With a 6-0 run, UAH took a 20-16 lead as Stiles scored two service aces while Garrett recorded a kill and the Chargers scored two blocks, courtesy two assists from Bundrant while accompanied by Garrett then Redman. Though the Warhawks challenged late, UAH wrapped up the final set with a 5-1 advantage as Redman capped the match with a final kill.
IN THE STATS
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A pair of Chargers recorded double-doubles as Cooper Garrett led the team with 15 kills and added 17 assists while Emily Redman was second in kills with 11 while leading the team in digs with 14.
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Amelia Smith and Kayla Ward each recorded eight kills while Mary Grace Bundrant and Ella Schumacher added seven and five, respectively.
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Anna Clare Hutto set her single game-high for the season in assists with 26.
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Sydney Durban was second on the team in digs with 13 while Brooklyn Stiles added another 12.
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Stiles and Redman each recorded three service aces against AUM.
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UAH held the advantage offensively with a 0.254 hitting percentage to AUM's 0.160 for the match.
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The Chargers recorded 60 total kills to the Warhawks' 37.
COMING UP
UAH stays on the road with a 1 p.m. match tomorrow in Valdosta, Georgia, against Valdosta State.
The Chargers' next home match will come against Trevecca Nazarene at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
