HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – On the wrong end of a thrilling five-set match, the University of West Alabama volleyball team dropped its first Gulf South Conference match of the season Tuesday night in losing 3-2 at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The Tigers drop to 4-8 overall and 0-1 in conference play while UAH improves to 4-8 and 1-0.

The match was a back-and-forth affair as the teams alternated set victories until the Chargers were able to win both the fourth and fifth sets.

UWA took the first set of the night 25-22, but the hosts responded immediately with a 25-16 victory in the second. West Alabama's best frame of the evening came in the third as the Tigers rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-17 victory.

Thais Hollerbach and Angela Sanders each had six kills in the third, helping UWA to a .343 hitting percentage in the set. Hollerbach would finish the night with a double-double as she collected 14 kills – one off of her season-high – and 18 digs.

UAH took advantage of nine Tiger miscues in the fourth set en route to winning 25-22.

That set up the most exciting frame of the evening as the fifth set featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes. The Tigers owned the first advantage, building up a slim 3-1 lead before UAH reeled off the next four points to tilt the set in their favor at 5-3. West Alabama Head Coach Tabitha Turner then called a timeout to settle her troops down, and the squad responded by scoring three consecutive points to regain the edge at 6-5.

From that point forward, neither side would score more than two straight points until UAH tallied the match's final three points to claim the fifth 15-13.

Alexis McHale joined Hollerbach with a double-double as she led the Tigers with 26 assists while also chipping in defensively with 10 digs. Casey Byrnes matched Hollerbach's dig total as the pair tied for the West Alabama lead on the night with 18 each.

The team combined for seven blocks in the game, led by Kelly Cobb who joined in on four. Myeasha Williams and Olivia Drew both assisted on three blocks.

The Tigers will continue GSC play on Friday as they will host West Georgia in Livingston. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and live stats will be available through www.uwaathletics.com.