MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Led by Nyah Whittlesey's 16 kills and 15 digs, the Auburn University at Montgomery volleyball team defeated Gulf South Conference foe West Alabama 3-1 to open the 2021 season.

The Warhawks open the year with a 1-0 record, while West Alabama falls to 0-2 to start the year. This game does not count toward the Group B standings for the GSC Spring Championship Series, as West Alabama is a Group A team.

The Warhawks jumped out to an impressive jump start to the season thanks in large part to Carla Bulter's three kills which gave the Warhawks an 11-6 lead early in the first set. Ashley Hudson and Whittlesey continued the charge for the Orange & Black, giving AUM a 25-14 set-one win over the Tigers.

The start to the second set was contested more than the first set by West Alabama. The first 18 points were split evenly between the two teams to form a 9-9 tie. With an 18-16 lead for the Tigers, the Warhawks went on a 5-0 run to take a 21-18 lead over UWA, thanks to
Berkleigh Davidson setting the tone with her serves. AUM cruised to a 25-22 lead to end the second set to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.

West Alabama came out with more purpose in the third set, taking an early 9-2 lead to force an AUM timeout. The Orange & Black cut the lead down to two later in the third set with more kills from Whittlesey to run the score to 15-13. The Tigers, however, stood strong and took the third set 25-19, preventing the sweep.

The first 12 points of the fourth set were evenly split between the two teams as Giada Pais-Marden aided the Warhawks in staying close. With AUM up 15-13 in the fourth set, the Warhawks would go on a 4-0 run to distance themselves from the Tigers, and it set them up to take the set 25-20 and the match three games to one.

The Warhawks will start Group B play on Saturday, March 6, when they travel to Valdosta, Ga., to take on Shorter and Valdosta State.