LIVINGSTON, Ala. – With narrow victories in the first two sets, Shorter University rallied back from dropping set three to win 3-1 over the University of West Alabama in Gulf South Conference volleyball action Wednesday at Pruitt Hall.

 Shorter improves to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the GSC. West Alabama dips to 4-9 and 2-4.

The Hawks rallied back from trailing for most of the first set, edging out UWA 25-22. Their momentum carried into the second set jumping out to a 10 point lead. The Tigers pieced together their own rally late, but fell 25-23 in the set.

West Alabama carried its late momentum into the third set, sailing to a 25-13 win. Shorter claimed the match with a final 25-20 victory in set four.

"We came out strong thanks to a great atmosphere set by our fans tonight," said UWA head coach Jordan Lay. "We were up early in set one, but for some reason couldn't shut the door. After coming out pretty flat in set two, we really exploded and took control of the match. In set four however, we again came out flat."

Elizabeth Dowd led the SU offense with 14 kills in 42 attempts. Briana Sandifer led the court with 15 kills, followed by Yanesha Johnson with 11. As a team, UWA led in attack percentage hitting .157, holding Shorter to .094.  

The Tiger defense led the game with 66 digs, led by Kimberly Hernandez with 13 and Abby Ames and Vic Collins with 12 each.  At the net, Shorter narrowly out-blocked UWA 9-8. Tiffani Estep and Dowd led the Hawks with five block assists each, while Sarah Spaulding led the Tigers with four assists.

"Our defense was really on point tonight," Lay said. "Anytime you have three players with 12-plus digs, you are giving your chance plenty of opportunities to score on offense."

West Alabama Volleyball will continue its three match home stretch against Gulf South Conference opponent Lee University on Friday. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.