DELAND, Fla. (October 20, 2024) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team concluded its roadtrip to Florida early Sunday afternoon with a 3-1 road victory over Stetson in Atlantic Sun Conference action in DeLand, Fla.
UNA (11-10, 5-2 ASUN) set the tone with a 25-11 win in the opening frame, followed by a 25-16 win in the second set. Stetson (3-17, 0-9 ASUN) responded with a tight 25-22 win in the third set to avoid the sweep, but the Lions finished things off with a comfortable 25-12 win in set four.
After dropping a four-set contest to FGCU last time out, the Lions used a surge on offense and record performance from graduate Jasmine Brooks to leave Florida with an Atlantic Sun Conference win.
Brooks finished with a career-high 23 kills against Stetson, setting North Alabama's Division I program record for single-match kills. After tying the then-program record against Little Rock on Sept. 21, Brooks finally was able to set the new mark in the career performance. It marks the third time in four matches that the record has been set, with freshman Reese Ricketts setting the program record with 22 at Lipscomb and Austin Peay last week.
Along with Brooks, the offense had a standout performance by finishing just shy of two single-match Division I program records. UNA had 12 service aces on the day, marking a new season high and finishing one short of tying the Division I program record. North Alabama also totaled 64 team kills in the contest, which finished two shy of the single-match Division I record.
The complete day on offense was capsulated with a season-high 58 assists – five short of tying the Division I program mark as a team.
Joining Brooks atop the leader board was Ricketts and Tietz, who finished with 16 and 12 kills, respectively. Senior Elif Ozsoy totaled a match-high 49 assists in the outing, finishing one shy of her career-high. Ozsoy also surpassed the 1,500-assist milestone for her career, accomplishing the career achievement in the first set.
Fenoff tied with Ozsoy in service aces, each registering three in the standout day from the service line. Freshman Audrey Small had a match-high 22 digs, while sophomores Nicole Sargent and Meredith Brown led with four blocks each. Sargent also hit a career milestone in the performance, registering her 100th career block.
The tone was set early in the opening set, using 16 kills on a solid .417 hitting percentage to strike first against the Hatters. Five UNA players registered at least two kills, led by Brooks (4) with Ricketts (3), sophomore Meredith Brown (3) and senior Brenna Tietz to follow. Senior Elif Ozsoy provided key plays with 12 assists, and the net defense started strong with three early blocks. North Alabama took the first set, 25-11.
Stetson responded with a stronger second set, but the Lions' offense continued rolling en route to a second-set victory. The Hatters would tie the match three times, but it was all UNA as a late-set surge gave North Alabama the two-set advantage. The Lions dominated from the service line in the set, registering five aces. UNA also finished with 18 kills in the frame – the most of any set in the match. UNA also hit .317 in attack percentage, with Ozsoy improving from her first-set output with 13-set assists and a leading two service aces.
The Hatters got the response they needed in the following set, holding off a late North Alabama run to win set three, 25-22. The fourth set proved different, however, as 15 kills on a .429 hitting percentage catapulted the Lions to the road victory. UNA led wire-to-wire in the fourth frame, leading by as many as 14 in the set. North Alabama also continued to excel from service with three more service aces, including two from team-leader and sophomore Olivia Fenoff. Five kills apiece from Brooks and Ricketts aided the clinching set.
North Alabama returns to CB&S Bank Arena on Friday, Oct. 25, beginning a six-match home stand against West Georgia. First serve against the Wolves is set for 6 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
