CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern had one of the top hitting performances in program history on Tuesday night as the Buccaneers swept visiting Savannah State inside the Buc Dome, 25-9, 25-22, 25-7.

The Bucs (1-3) picked up their first win of the 2015 season in their home opener, connecting on a .402 hitting percentage from the floor in the straight sets win. The .402 hitting percentage is the eighth-best in CSU volleyball history as the team hit .481 in the first set and .524 in the clinching third set in recording the win over the Tigers.

"Going into this match, we were confident because we played some really tough teams this weekend and were really competitive," commented CSU head coach Christy Mooberry. "We had things we were trying to accomplish, both individually and as a team. I think the girls were really focused out there and played well."

Katrina Houston led the Bucs offense on the night with nine kills, hitting .600 from the floor in the match. Meredith Parrott, Kylie Klein and Addison Kaderli all had six kills to supplement the CSU offense. Cassidy Greer (14) and Brooke Green (10) both reached double-digits in set assists in setting up the Bucs attack.

Defensively, Ashley Higginbothem led the Bucs with 17 digs, while Taylor Allman finished with eight in the match. Klein led the Bucs at the net with two blocks.

The Buccaneers freshmen contributed in a big way in the deciding third set for the Bucs as Kaderli connected on five kills in the set. Hannah Western and Krista Kuglin both displayed their all-around athleticism in the frame with each tallying a kill, while Madison Martin had six assists in her first extended action as a setter on the season.

"We have a great group of freshman," said Moobery. "They work hard and are a physical bunch. I'm looking forward to continuing to improve and seeing how they develop. They have a lot of potential."

Savannah State (0-5) was led by six kills apiece by Gabrielle Nathaniel and Caitlynn Masoe, while Brianna Littlejohn set up the SSU offense with 10 assists. Defensively, Alexis Washington led the backline with 11 digs.

With the score tied 3-3 in the first set, the Buccaneers went on a 16-3 run to take a commanding lead in the opening frame. Siraya Windsor and Klein both had four kills in the set for the Bucs as CSU took the first set from the Tigers, 25-9.

The competitive second set went back and forth throughout the frame as the teams combined for eight ties and two lead changes. With the match tied 16-16, CSU took the lead following a Savannah State attack error and retained the advantage the remainder of the way as Western connected on an ace and Houston and Kaderli both drilled kills as the Bucs went into the break leading 2-0.

The Bucs scored six of the first eight points and 16 of the first 19, utilizing a 10-0 run on Western's serve in cruising to the third set win and completing the sweep over the Tigers inside the Buc Dome.

CSU is back in action this weekend at the Elon Phoenix Classic taking on Elon, Wake Forest and N.C. Central on Friday and Saturday. The Bucs open against host Elon on Friday night at 7 p.m., while taking on Wake Forest and N.C. Central on Saturday to close out the weekend.