LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Union University battled from behind to win the final three sets and defeat West Alabama 3-2 in Gulf South Conference volleyball action at Pruitt Hall Saturday. Despite the loss the Tigers still claimed enough set wins to break the tie with Union in the conference standings and qualified for the 2015 GSC Tournament.

The Tigers dip to 11-19 overall and 9-11 in the GSC, but with a 3-1 victory over Union earlier in the season, UWA wins the overall tie breaker with Union 5-4 in sets. Union ends its season 10-19 and 9-11.

We were fortunate enough that we won enough sets to win the tiebreaker against Union and earn our sixth place in the conference tournament, which we are very happy about," said UWA head coach Jordan Lay.

"Tonight is still a valuable lesson for us to learn going into the first round in that we do not want this feeling of losing again. If anything, this is a blessing in disguise and puts a little chip on our shoulders going into the tournament."

West Alabama came out strong, winning the opening two sets 25-20 and 25-23. The Bulldogs responded by taking the following three sets 25-19, 25-23 and 15-13.

Union combined for a .204 attack percentage, led by Deja Moorer with 15 kills and Ceciley Blanchard with 14. Casi Neff propped up the teams hitting percentage, tallying .400 with 13 kills herself.

Yanesha Johnson and Briana Sandifer led the Tigers with 14 kills and 13 kills respectively. Sandifer posted a double-double by leading the defense with 18 digs. Abbey Ames followed with 17 digs.

In their final match in Pruitt Hall, seniors Morgan Ray and Kimberly Hernandez each had strong showings. Ray totaled 10 kills and Hernandez recorded 10 digs. Callie Murphy finished with 32 assists.

"Our seniors played fantastic tonight," Lay said.

"Tonight was the best you could've asked from seniors playing their final home match. It wasn't great to lose, but the performances they turned in as individuals has to be a great feeling for them to end their careers on. We are still happy that we got to extend their careers just a little bit longer."

Defensively, UWA out-blocked Union 8-7 with Jaime Lancellot tallying six assists.

West Alabama will face the third seed of the GSC tournament in the first round. The third seed will be determined by the loser of the Valdosta State and North Alabama match on Sunday. The first round of the tournament will be held on Tuesday.

Follow UWAathletics.com on Facebook (UWAathletics) and Twitter (@UWAathletics) for updates on the GSC Tournament, including match times and host information.

Find the official tournament homepage HERE.