MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of Montevallo volleyball team will face the University of Alabama-Huntsville in the Gulf South Conference Tournament, Friday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. in Pensacola, Fla.
 
A split week concluded the Falcons' final week of the regular season with a 3-1 win over West Alabama and a 3-2 loss to Mississippi College as UM finalized its postion in the tournament as the No. 4 seed. In the first round of the tournament on Monday Nov. 7, No.5 seeded UAH defeated Shorter 3-1, locking in the quarterfinal matchup with Montevallo.

Montevallo finished the regular season 18-13 overall and 10-6 in conference play. The Falcons put together a 10-match win streak mid-way through the season and opened conference play 4-0 before falling to AUM. The Falcons faced UAH twice this season and finished 1-1. UM swept the Chargers at home on Sept. 24 and were swept in Huntsville on Oct. 28.
 
The Falcons enter the postseason as one of the top offenses in league and have scored over 1,800 points, the third most in the GSC. In addition, UM is third in kills (1,423), second in kills per set (12.27), and fourth in hit percentage (.200). On the other side, the Falcons have held one of the top-five defenses in the league this season and have held opponents to a .166 hit percentage. Montevallo ranks third in the GSC in digs with 1,770 on the year and averages 15.26 per set – good enough for second in the league.
 
On Tuesday the GSC released its postseason awards and All-Conference teams. The Falcons featured three names on the list as junior libero Casey Hendrixson was named the Libero of the Year and a First Team All-GSC selection. Hendrixson has anchored UM's defense all season long and has recorded 521 digs. She leads the GSC with 4.61 digs per set and was named the GSC Defensive Player of the Week three times.
 
In addition to Hendrixson, juniors Allie Dishman and Macy Martin each earned All-Conference honors as Dishman was named to the First Team and Martin to the Second Team. Dishman finished second in the league in kills (329) and was third in kills per set (2.84) while also posting a top-eight hit percentage (.337). Dishman was the leagues' leader in points with 412.5 (3.56 per set) after totaling 329 kills, 81 blocks and 36 service aces on the year. Martin was right behind Dishman with 324 kills and 2.79 per set, ranking fourth and seventh, respectively. She also finished second on the team in digs with 258 at 2.22 per set.
 
Head Coach Katie O'Brien is in her15^th season at the helm of the volleyball program and is looking to lead the Falcons to a GSC Tournament Championship and automatic NCAA tournament berth for the first time since the 2010 season when the Falcons were in the Peach Belt.

For the past two seasons the Falcons have advanced to the GSC Championship match but have fallen short in each. In the latest NCAA South Region Rankings, the Falcons were ranked for the third consecutive week in the No. 10 spot.
 
 The winner of Friday's matchup will take on the regular season champion, West Florida, in the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 12 at  11 a.m.

THE BRACKET
 TIME              EVENT            TEAMS
Second Round | Friday, Nov. 11 | Hosted by West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.)
11 a.m.                        Match 3           No. 4 Montevallo vs. No. 5 UAH
1:30 p.m.                     Match 4           No. 3 Mississippi College vs. No. 7 AUM
Semifinals | Saturday, Nov. 12 | Hosted by West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.)
11 a.m.                        Match 5           No. 1 West Florida vs. Match 3 Winner
1:30 p.m.                     Match 6          No. 2 Union vs. Match 4 Winner
 
Championship | Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022 | Hosted by west Florida (Pensacola, Fla.)
12 p.m.                        Match 7                       Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner

 
SERIES HISTORY
In a longstanding rivalry with the in-state foe, Montevallo trails the Chargers 22-26 in the all-time series history. Prior to being swept by UAH in October, the Falcons put together a three-game series win streak following a loss in the championship match to the Chargers on April 1, 2021. The last ten matchups are split 5-5. Friday's matchup will mark the third consecutive year the Falcons and Chargers have played in the postseason. UM avenged the championship match loss in 2021 by knocking UAH out in the semifinal round.  
 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
 
First Round:       No. 4 Montevallo             vs.          No. 5 UAH
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Pensacola, Fla.
Live Stats: 
Live Stream:  Flosports.com/gsc                               $19.99    https://go.flosports.tv/partner/gulf-south
Tickets: $10 general admission (single day) |$25 general admission (tournament pass) | $5 students (single day) | $10 Students (tournament pass) https://goargos.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1658&r=619ab54925104b6e8b4162cfa83ea588
GSC Tournament Home Page: https://gscsports.org/tournaments/?id=190