HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (October 24, 2025) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team heads to Huntsville this weekend to compete with a championship bid on the line at the AVCA Central Qualifiers from Oct. 25-26.

North Alabama travels to the John Hunt Sand Volleyball Courts to face top programs from the Central region. UNA looks to conquer the championship bracket and can secure up to three bids for the AVCA Pairs National Championships on Nov. 7-9.

The tournament will be single elimination and played to place across two days. The three bids are awarded to the top finishing pairs of the bracket who are eligible to earn a bid. The bids will be distributed to the next-highest finishers if a team is ineligible to accept the bid, or the program has the max number of two bids already met.

Among the teams competing this weekend are Atlantic Sun Conference foes Austin Peay and EKU. Other programs include UAB, Tulane, Chattanooga, Georgia State, Southern Miss, UT Martin, Stephen F. Austin and Mercer.

North Alabama student-athletes Audrey Gauthier, Selma Robinson, Jennah Atchley, Emma White, Hailey Benesz and Paige Griner will form the three pairs in the tournament's bid division. Gauthier and Robinson are the fifth seed, while Atchley and White make up the sixth. Benesz and Griner are the final UNA pair at the seventh seed.

The weekend also has an open division with the remaining Lions set for action against tournament teams. Bids won't be awarded to the national championships, but pairs will play in 4-6 matches across the two days.

Play in Huntsville begins on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 9 a.m. Pair information can be found here, with results from each match being provided following the conclusion of play.

Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can also follow along on the UNA Beach Volleyball social media pages.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.