FLORENCE – A trio of freshmen paced the University of North Alabama volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep over visiting Christian Brothers Tuesday evening in the first round of the 2014 Gulf South Conference Tournament at Flowers Hall. Jessica Austin had 11 kills while fellow freshman Lexie Bradley totaled 10 kills for the match. Reigning GSC Freshman of the Year Ashtyn Kapovich also turned in a match-high 16 digs.

With the win, the fourth-seeded Lions advance to the semi-finals with a 25-17, 25-19, 25-17 victory and improved to 19-11 on the season.

"We talked a lot this week about wanting a tournament championship atmosphere and that played a big role tonight," said UNA head coach Stephanie Radecki. "The team came out with a lot of energy and the fans were great."

Austin, who hit .421 for the match, keyed the fast start for the Lions with four kills in the opening set. She sparked a 14-4 run to open the game as UNA led from the first point.

The Lions used a run midway through the second set to grab a 2-0 overall lead. Leading 19-16, UNA closed the frame with a 6-3 spurt. Austin again came through late with three kills down the stretch. The game ended on a kill by freshman Megan Wadsworth.

In the third set, North Alabama used a balanced attack to close out the match. Austin and Bradley were joined by Megan Gorey and Natasha Fomina with each player posting three kills. The Lions hit .310 as a team in the frame.

Freshman Macie Pringle added 11 digs for the Lions. Radecki also praised the defensive performance of senior Shantel Federick, who also totaled 11 digs on the night.

"Shantel came out and dug a lot of balls early in the match," she said. "That really sparked the team to our fast start and carried over to the other players. It was also huge to have Jessica come out and be such a dynamic force on offense."

Setter Andrea De Leon finished with 35 assists and helped the Lions record a .276 team hitting percentage.

Fifth-seeded Christian Brothers was led by Mary Kathryn Miller's 10 kills. With the loss, the Bucs close out their season with a 16-15 record.

UNA will now advance to the semi-finals to face top-seeded Shorter on Saturday. The Hawks won the GSC regular season title and right to host the final and semi-final rounds. Match time is set for 11 am Saturday on the Shorter campus in Rome, Ga.