LexieBradleyWallace
Eddy Forsythe
1
North Alabama UNA 27-8
3
Winner Saint Leo SL 23-6
North Alabama UNA
27-8
1
Final
3
Saint Leo SL
23-6
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
North Alabama UNA 19 20 28 20 (1)
Saint Leo SL 25 25 26 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN OPENING ROUND OF NCAA REGIONAL

LAKELAND, Fla., – The University of North Alabama volleyball team's 2017 season came to a close Thursday with a 3-1 loss to Saint Leo in the opening round of the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament. SLU held the Lions to a .174 hitting percentage in the 25-19, 25-20, 26-28, 25-20 win, avenging a 3-2 loss to UNA earlier in the season.
 
Lexie Bradley had a match-high 26 kills and Ashtyn Kapovich recorded 29 digs for the Lions, who end the season with a 27-8 record.
 
"We had some great performances today by our players today," said UNA head coach Stephanie Radecki. "Unfortunately, we just came up a little short. Saint Leo played really well and didn't have a lot of errors. It was just two great teams battling back and forth. I am really proud of this team, the season they had and what they were able to accomplish."
 
When the two teams met on Oct. 13, Saint Leo jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Lions rallied for the 3-2 victory. The pattern was in place to repeat itself after UNA again fell behind 0-2 before extending the match with a 28-26 victory in the third set.
 
SLU, however, used a late run to seal the win. North Alabama led 17-16 when Saint Leo used a 5-0 run to take control. After an attack error on SLU and a kill by Ana Gabriela Pacheco closed the gap to 21-19, Saint Leo called a timeout, then scored four of the next five points to get the victory.
 
"We struggled a lot in the first two sets," said Bradley. "We made some great runs but just came up short. I had a lot of confidence, especially after winning the third set. We just came up short."
 
In the opening set the Lions trailed by as many as eight before rallying. Saint Leo opened the game on a 10-2 run and maintained the lead throughout the contest. UNA cut the deficit to a single point on three different occasions, but could never tie the score. UNA hit .152 in the frame and didn't record a kill until a back-row swing by Bradley made the score 12-6.
 
Saint Leo led wire to wire again in the second set. An early 8-2 run gave SLU a six-point lead and the Lions would get no closer than three the rest of the way. Bradley had nine kills in the game to lead UNA.
 
North Alabama faced match point in the third set. Facing a 24-21 deficit, the Lions got three straight points to tie the score. SLU had two more match points before three straight kills by Bradley completed the comeback.
 
"We had a lot of momentum going into the fourth set," said Kapovich, who finishes her four-year career with 2,232 digs. "It just didn't work out for us."
 
Pacheco finished with 13 kills and a .231 hitting percentage for the match. Jayden Davila-McClary added 51 assists and 19 digs. Ava Carnley also had 13 digs while Bradley completed a double-double with 10 digs for the Lions.


 
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Players Mentioned

Lexie Bradley

#12 Lexie Bradley

OH
5' 11"
Senior
Ava Carnley

#16 Ava Carnley

DS
5' 5"
Junior
Jayden Davila-McClary

#20 Jayden Davila-McClary

S
5' 8"
Junior
Ashtyn Kapovich

#17 Ashtyn Kapovich

LIB
5' 5"
Senior
Ana Gabriela Pacheco

#5 Ana Gabriela Pacheco

OH/RS
5' 8"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Lexie Bradley

#12 Lexie Bradley

5' 11"
Senior
OH
Ava Carnley

#16 Ava Carnley

5' 5"
Junior
DS
Jayden Davila-McClary

#20 Jayden Davila-McClary

5' 8"
Junior
S
Ashtyn Kapovich

#17 Ashtyn Kapovich

5' 5"
Senior
LIB
Ana Gabriela Pacheco

#5 Ana Gabriela Pacheco

5' 8"
Senior
OH/RS