CONWAY, Ark. (October 24, 2023) – North Alabama Volleyball hits the road on Wednesday for a midweek tilt against the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears inside the Prince Center in Conway, Ark.
After a pair of wins over the weekend inside CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall, the Lions will play one midweek road bout before returning to Florence for the next three contests.
The match against the Sugar Bears is free admission, and live stats will be provided for the match through SIDEARM. The matches will also be streamed on ESPN+.
MATCHUP
North Alabama at Central Arkansas
Wednesday, October 25
6 p.m.
Game Notes | Live Stats | Watch
NOTES
Floyd on Fire: Junior outside hitter Katy Floyd was a woman on a mission on Sunday, Oct. 22 against the Jacksonville Dolphins. The Louisville, Ky. native tied graduate middle blocker Anna Katherine Griggs for the most kills in a game this season with 19, which was also two short of her career high of 21 — a feat she did twice her freshman year against Stetson and EKU.
First Honors for Floyd: Floyd's big weekend on the court was culminated in her first ASUN Volleyball Player of the Week honor on Oct. 23. Floyd averaged 16.5 kills and 12 digs per match in four-set wins against North Florida and Jacksonville, totaling 33 kills in the two matches. Defensively, Floyd tallied 24 digs and was solid receiving serves with a .964 service reception percentage on 56 attempts. She also provided a block and an assist.
Serving Aces All Season: North Alabama ranks in the top five in service aces in the ASUN Conference, ranking fourth in total aces with 143 and third with 1.68 aces per set. Senior setter Kennedey Johnson and junior setter Elif Ozsoy both rank in the top 10 in service aces averages, coming in at seventh and 10th, respectively. Johnson carries a total of 32 aces for an average of 0.38, while Ozsoy has registered 24 for a 0.35 average.
Hitting Their Stride: The offense of the Lions is one of the most efficient in the ASUN, ranking fifth with a .229 hitting percentage average. Fueled by the performances of Griggs and fellow graduate middle blocker Maggie Sullivan, the pair rank first and third in hitting percentage with .403 and .363, respectively.
Meeting History: The Lions and Sugar Bears have met on the court a total of 12 times, with UNA leading the series 7-5. The last meeting saw North Alabama take a four-set victory in the first match of the UNA Invitational on Sept. 15 in Florence, Ala. The win marked the Lions' first ASUN Conference win of the season and UNA's first win over Central Arkansas since Oct. 15, 2021.
Scouting the Sugar Bears: Central Arkansas (6-16, 0-10 ASUN) meets the Lions for the second time this season after an early defeat to UNA on the road. In search of their first conference win of the season, the Sugar Bears have the top assister in the conference in Caylan Koons. The sophomore from Springdale, Ark. sports the most assists in the conference with 820, coming in second in assists per set with 10. UCA's closest match in ASUN play was a five-set loss to Lipscomb, who ranks second in the league standings with a 9-1 record.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
