BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sept. 1, 2023) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team will stay in-state this weekend to take part in the Samford Invitational in Birmingham, Ala. on Saturday, Sept. 2.
The event will be hosted by Samford University, with the first matchup coming against the University of Evansville on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Lions will conclude their invitational with a match against the Bulldogs on Sunday, Sept. 3, at 2 p.m. The tournament will not be live streamed, but live stats will be available for both matches through StatBroadcast.
MATCHUP
Game 1: North Alabama vs. Evansville
Saturday, September 2
2 p.m.
Live Stats
Game 2: North Alabama at Samford
Sunday, September 3
2 p.m.
Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes
NOTES
First Things First: North Alabama opened their 2023 regular season on the road at the A-State Invitational at hosts Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Ark. The Lions opened day one of the invitational with a five-set thriller against the Lady Techsters of Louisiana Tech, winning by a score of 3-2. Later in the afternoon, UNA blanked the Little Rock Trojans in the final match of the day, 3-0. Day two saw North Alabama push Arkansas State to five sets, including holding off four straight match points, before falling to the Red Wolves, 3-2
New No More: The A-State Invitational saw significant contributions from the newcomers to North Alabama Volleyball all weekend long. Junior outside hitter Brenna Tietz wasted no time in making an impact, as her 34 kills across three matches currently leads the Lions. The transfer from West Virginia is also second on the team in total blocks with 11. Freshmen outside hitters Avery Markham and Olivia Fenoff started in all three matches for UNA and played well, with Fenoff accumulating double-digit kills in matchups against Little Rock and Arkansas State and Markham finishing with a double-double against the Red Wolves. Freshman outside/right side hitter Nicole Sargent tallied 11 kills on .310 hitting percentage, with her season high of five against Little Rock.
Markham Makes Mark: Freshman outside hitter Avery Markham made her presence known in the first action of the new season. Starting in all three matches, she had an all-around performance with 30 kills on a .225 hitting percentage and two service aces on the offensive end. Defensively, she contributed 30 digs, three blocks and finished with a .917 service reception percentage on 84 attempts. Her 16 kills against Arkansas State were the most by any Lion over the course of the invitational. As a result, she was named ASUN Freshman of the Week on August 28.
Meeting History: For the Lions, this will be the second time ever that they face Samford on the court. In their last matchup on Sept. 6, 2019, the Bulldogs defeated UNA 3-0 in regular season play in Birmingham. As for the Purple Aces, this is the first time that the Lions will face them in volleyball action.
Scouting the Purple Aces: Evansville (2-1, 0-0 MVC) opened their season at the SEMO Invitational, hosted by Southeast Missouri State, on August 25 and finished 1-1. Their first match ended with a 3-0 loss at the hands of the hosts but rebounded with a 3-2 win against Mid-American Conference (MAC) member Central Michigan. The Purple Aces are led by right side hitter Giulia Cardona, a junior from Rosario, Argentina. She leads the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in kills with 61 and ranks second in service aces with 11. Defensively, she's racked up 33 digs and six blocks to open her season. Evansville is coached by Fernando Morales in his fifth season with the Purple Aces.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Samford (2-1, 0-0 SoCon) will host their invitational after being on the road to start the season at the Tiger Brawl in Memphis, Tenn. They went 2-1 over the course of the weekend, opening with a 3-0 win over Miami (OH) of the MAC before falling to American Athletic Conference (AAC) member and hosts Memphis by a score of 3-2. The Bulldogs got back on track with a 3-0 victory against Alcorn State to round out their Tiger Brawl appearance. Junior outside hitter Gracie Lynn Butler leads the Bulldogs with 55 kills, which ranks her second in the Southern Conference (SoCon). She also ranks fourth in conference in service aces with seven. Samford is coached by Keylor Chan in his eighth season with the team.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
