To open the Gulf South Volleyball Championship in SportsMED Arena at Spragins Hall, the No. 1 seed University of Alabama in Huntsville earned a 3-1 victory against Christian Brothers to propel the Chargers (26-2) into the championship's semifinal round.
The Lady Buccaneers (11-21) earned the first two points of the match, but the Chargers responded with a 4-1 run kicked off by an Ella Schumacher kill before she added a service ace and Mary Grace Bundrant finished it off with back-to-back kills. Though Christian Brothers tied the score briefly at 4-4, UAH levied a 7-0 run to take a 11-4 lead. Though briefly waylaid by a Christian Brothers point, the Chargers continued to bulldoze their way through the set as they continually increased their lead before earning the win with their largest lead of the set with 14 points with a final score of 25-11.
UAH picked up where it left off to begin Set 2 with a quick two points, the second courtesy a combo block from Emily Redman and Bundrant. However, the Lady Buccaneers rallied to take the lead, 7-5, before the Chargers could deliver their answer. Though UAH delivered in decisive fashion with four straight points to retake the lead with Bundrant and Schumacher logging kills before trading the next several points until the pair tied again, 13-13. Once again, though, UAH reestablished its hold on the set with a 9-0 run to take a 22-13 lead before Cooper Garrett delivered the set-clinching kill for a 25-17 win and 2-0 overall lead.
Set 3 went the way of Christian Brothers early on as it took a 12-3 lead before UAH began to find an answer. After several short runs, the Chargers climbed back into striking distance down a point, 20-19, and again 23-22. However, the Lady Buccaneers were able to hold off the late UAH run to take Set 3, 25-22.
The fourth set quickly became a hotly contested battle as neither side was able to build too much momentum before the other side answered. While UAH took a 3-0 run to take a 12-7 lead on kills from Amelia Smith and Schumacher, Christian Brothers responded in kind with three straight points. The Chargers finally began to cement their hold on the set and match with a 4-0 run to push to match point, 24-16, on a pair of Smith kills and a solo block from Smith. Finally, the reigning GSC Player of the Year, Kayla Ward, closed out the set for UAH with a final kill to take Set 4, 25-17.
IN THE STATS
COMING UP
The Chargers will face No. 4 Lee Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the GSC Semifinals.
