THE OFFICIAL ATHLETICS SITE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA LIONS

Hired as head volleyball coach at UNA in 1995, Matt Peck led the Lions for nine years and took  the UNA program to the highest national level. UNA made eight straight NCAA appearances, had four trips to the Elite Eight, played in two Final Fours and won the 2003 NCAA Division II National Championship. It was the first national championship for a women’s sport in UNA athletic history. 


He compiled a 312-61 overall record at UNA and a 112-10 record in the Gulf South Conference. 


After going 5-7 in league play his first season, Peck was 107-3 in GSC play the next eight years, including five undefeated seasons in GSC matches.


He was selected GSC Coach of the Year in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000, was AVCA South Central Region Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2003, and was AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2003. 


In 1996 Peck led the Lions to a 44-4 record that included the school’s seventh GSC championship and the first ever NCAA Tournament appearance by a school from the state of Alabama. In 1997 Ronda Price and Mariela Fasce were named second-team AVCA All-Americans to become the school’s first volleyball All-Americans. In addition, Price was a second-team CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-America selection, making her the first athlete in school history to earn both All-America and Academic All-America honors. As a team, UNA claimed its second consecutive GSC Tournament title and earned its second NCAA Regional bid as well.


North Alabama became the first school in GSC history to advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 1998. The Lions claimed their third straight GSC title and first-ever NCAA regional championship. Also Mariela Fasce became the first volleyball player in conference history to be selected first-team All-American.


In 1999, UNA went 35-7, won its fourth straight GSC title and made its fourth straight NCAA appearance, advancing to the Elite Eight for a second time.


Lana Fishback, Deja Trojan, Rachel Price and Ronda Price were members of four consecutive GSC championships, four straight NCAA Tournament berths and earned two straight trips to the NCAA Elite Eight by winning two NCAA South Central Regional championships. From 1996-1999 the “Fab Four” compiled a record of 156-22 and 47-1 in the GSC.


In 2000, UNA went 40-3, won a fifth straight GSC title, made a fifth straight NCAA trip and reached the Division II Final Four for the first time. Those feats came with six new starters and just two seniors on the squad. Those seniors, Gretchen Midkiff and Amy Bernstein helped UNA to a combined 152-21 record over their four years.


Ashley Moffitt and Nesrin Seckin earned All-American honors in both 2000 and 2001.

In 2002, UNA won an unprecedented seventh straight GSC title and 13th overall volleyball crown.  Sandra Alexander set an all-time NCAA Division II record for career hitting percentage and Anna Bondarenko and Yana Ninova were named All-American.


In 2003 UNA failed to win the GSC title for the first time in eight years, losing in the championship match. But that loss propelled the Lions to even greater heights as UNA rolled through the NCAA South Central Regional, the Elite Eight and Final Four to win the first national championship ever claimed by a UNA women’s athletic team.


Setter Ashley Moffitt was named All-American for the third time, led the nation in assists and set two Division II national records. Ninova was also named All-American again in 2003 and helped lead UNA to a 33-7 record. UNA defeated Concordia-St. Paul 3-0 in the finals to clinch the championship at San Bernardino, Calif.


Six of Peck's former players have already been inducted into the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame in Rachel Price, Ronda Price, Nesrin Seckin, Yana Ninova, Ashley Moffitt and Vanessa Ferretti. 


After his departure from UNA in 2004, Peck went on to a successful coaching career at Middle Tennessee State where he went to six NCAA tournaments, won four Sun Belt Conference Tournament titles and two regular season conference titles.