MEMPHIS-Visiting Alabama-Huntsville outlasted the Christian Brothers University Lady Bucs in a five-set heartbreaker Tuesday night at Canale Arena, snapping the Lady Bucs' winning streak at two matches.
The Lady Chargers (5-3, 3-1) opened the match with a 25-21 win in the first set, scoring seven of the final 10 points after the set had been tied at 18. The Lady Bucs (3-5, 2-2) finished strong in the second set, outscoring UAH 15-6 after a 10-10 tie as they pulled away to win 25-16. They followed up with a 25-19 win in the third set to seize control of the match, but UAH jumped to an 11-5 lead they never relinquished en route to a 25-16 win of their own to force a decisive fifth set.
In the final set, UAH held a 14-10 lead, needing just one point to clinch the match. But the Lady Bucs answered, first with an
Alexis Gillis (Corpus Christi, Texas/Carroll HS) kill. After a double-block by
Sami Gruse (Lafayette, Ind./Central Catholic HS) and
Brinsley Cooper (Rossville, Ind./Rossville HS),
Brittany Toney (Rockledge, Fla./Rockledge HS) followed with an unlikely kill to pull CBU within 14-13. Cooper pounded a kill to complete the comeback and tie the match, but UAH answered with a pair of kills to claim a 16-14 win in the set and a 3-2 win in the match.
Gillis led the Lady Bucs with a match-best 17 kills to go with 16 digs and four aces, while Cooper pounded 15 kills, hitting .419 with seven total blocks. Toney collected 16 digs, and
Hannah Sholtis (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community HS) notched 13 digs.
Maggie Sorensen (St. Louis, Mo./Ursuline Academy) added 14 kills, while
Mary Kathryn Miller (Fulton, Ky./Fulton City HS) tacked on a dozen.
Sami Gruse (Lafayette, Ind./Central Catholic HS) dished out a season-high 57 assists for CBU.
Anna Claire Johnson led UAH with 13 kills and 13 digs, and Kennedie Lariscy had a match-high 17 digs. Kirsten Giles logged 50 assists to go with 11 digs.
The Lady Bucs play their next three matches on the road, beginning Friday night at 6 p.m. as they visit No. 18 West Florida. Their next home match is Friday, Sept. 26, as they host Trevecca Nazarene.
