DELAND, Fla. (October 6, 2023) – The North Alabama volleyball team will face the Stetson Hatters in Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday in the the J. Ollie Edmunds Center in DeLand, Fla.
The third match of their six-match roadtrip, the Lions will be looking to get back in the win column after falling to Bellarmine in three sets in their last outing on Sept. 30.
Tickets are available for purchase for the match, and live stats will be provided for the match through SIDEARM. The matches will also be streamed on ESPN+.
MATCHUP
North Alabama at Stetson
Saturday, Oct. 7
5 p.m.
Game Notes | Live Stats | Tickets | Watch
NOTES
First Things First: North Alabama will be returning to the court a week after a two-match weekend in Kentucky. Facing off against EKU and Bellarmine on Sept. 29-30, the Lions dropped both matches to move to a 10-7 record with a 2-3 record in ASUN play. UNA was able to match the Colonels set-for-set early, splitting the first two sets before falling in four. In the match against Bellarmine, the Lions played a competitive match with the Knights, falling in three-sets by a combined six points. This will be the only trip to Florida for North Alabama, as matchups against ASUN members North Florida, Jacksonville and FGCU all come at home in CB&S Bank Arena inside Flowers Hall.
Meeting History: The Lions and Hatters have met on the court a total of six times, all within UNA's time in the ASUN Conference. Stetson is 6-0 against the Lions all-time, with the last meeting ending in straight sets on Oct. 14, 2022 in Florence, Ala.
Scouting the Hatters: Stetson (8-8, 3-1 ASUN) previously played at Queens on Oct. 1, holding off the Royals for a five-set win in Charlotte, N.C. The Hatters come into the match fifth in the conference standings, and they also rank first in the conference in blocks per set with 2.41. A big part of that is due to the performances of the Hatters' Sophia Groom. The middle blocker from Orlando, Fla. leads the ASUN Conference in total blocks, solo blocks and average per set with 73, 18 and 1.33, repsectively. She also has 126 kills with a .310 hitting percentage, 46 digs, five service aces and two assists on the season. At the helm for the Hatters is Yang Deng in her seventh year.
Scouting the Lions: UNA comes into the match sixth in the ASUN standings, two spots behind the Hatters. The Lions have one of the top offenses in the ASUN, as their point (15.92), hitting percentage (.242), assist (11.76), kill (12.56) and service ace (1.80) averages rank in the top five in their respective categories. A player to watch for the Lions in the weekend matchup is senior setter Kennedey Johnson. The Castle Rock, Colo. native leads the team with 393 assists and 27 service aces, with her service aces totals ranking fifth in the ASUN.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
