HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Down 11-6 in the fifth game, the University of West Alabama volleyball team (12-3, 3-0 GSC) simply would not go away as the Tigers scored six-straight in route to a 21-19 triumph and a 3-2 win against the University of Alabama at Huntsville Tuesday night.

After a service error from Charger Kristen Roussaeu, it was junior middle hitter Tazra Pitts who delivered for the Red and White as the team won five straight points with her serving, and eventually would take the set after trailing by the 11-6 margin.
 
"I thought we showed a lot of heart tonight," said the victorious head coach Tabitha Turner. "We could have easily given up, but we just kept fighting and pulled out a big win for us. I am just proud of the way they played tonight, and now we build off of this and move to the next challenge."

The dramatic fifth game was indicative of the entire match, as both teams battled back-and-forth. Following a loss in the first by a score of 25-15, UWA's win streak of five matches looked like it was in jeopardy. The Tigers persevered, however, and took the second and third games to hold a 2-1 lead going into the fourth.

In the increasingly intense contest, UAH then took the momentum from the Tigers, winning the fourth game by a score of 25-18, leading to the decisive set.

The teams swapped points throughout the fifth until junior Chanel Davis picked up a kill off an assist from senior Alexis McHale to give UWA the final point in the match and the 3-2 victory over the conference nemesis.

West Alabama was led offensively once again by senior Angela Sanders who put on another strong performance in back-to-back matches with 19 kills and six errors in 43 total attacks on the night. Meanwhile, senior libero Casey Byrnes led the team with 16 digs, while teammate Olivia Drew added 14 to pace the Tigers on the defensive end.

With the win, UWA moves to 3-0 in conference play and has now won six in a row dating back to Sept. 13. The Tigers now travel to Pensacola, Fla., Friday night to take on West Florida. Match time is slated for 7 p.m.

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