FLORENCE, Ala. (November 7, 2024) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team is set for a two-match weekend slate against Austin Peay and Lipscomb in the regular season home finales on Friday and Sunday. Sunday's match against Lipscomb will be Senior Day.
The Lions conclude the current six-match homestand this weekend, facing the Governors and Bisons for the second time this season. UNA will look sweep the season series against Austin Peay and gain their first win this season against Lipscomb.
First serve against the Govs is scheduled for 6 p.m. The Lipscomb match will begin at 1 p.m. The matches will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and live stats courtesy of StatBroadcast. Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following each match, but fans can follow along in real time on the UNA Volleyball social media pages.
Parking near the Hal Self Athletic Annex will be limited due to Bank Independent Stadium construction. Violators will be towed if parked in the construction zone. Fans are encouraged to park in the lots below the arena, along Circular Road and North Pine Street.
Limited handicap parking will also be available in front of the annex and the CB&S Bank Arena ticket office.
MATCH 1
North Alabama vs. Austin Peay
Friday, November 8, 2024
6 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Twitter
MATCH 2
North Alabama vs. Lipscomb
Sunday, November 10, 2024
1 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Twitter
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: The Lions split two contests at CB&S Bank Arena last week against Central Arkansas and North Florida. North Alabama rallied back from two-sets down to defeat the Sugar Bears on Oct. 30, following up with a 3-1 defeat to the Ospreys on Nov. 3.
SENIOR STATUS: Four North Alabama players will be playing their final matches in CB&S Bank this weekend. Players honored include graduate student Jasmine Brooks, along with seniors Brenna Tietz, Elif Ozsoy and Katy Floyd. Brooks, a four-year transfer from Tennessee, is second on the team in kills and has the program Division I record for single-match kills (35). Tietz is having a career year with 240 kills (third on team), and Ozsoy has amassed over 1,500 career assists. Floyd has been a mainstay of the program for four seasons, totaling 650 kills and 637 digs with four current UNA Division I program records.
A TEAM EFFORT: North Alabama is in the top three of four ASUN statistical categories as a team, ranking among the best ASUN teams in opponent blocks, opponent service aces, opponent hitting percentage and digs. As of Nov. 6, UNA leads the league in opponent service aces (1.15 per set), coming in second in opponent blocks (1.75 per set) opponent hitting percentage (.191 hitting percentage) and digs (16.30 per set).
LEADERBOARD LIONS: Five individual Lions are also ranked in the top-10 of the ASUN in respective categories. As of Nov. 1, Ricketts is fifth in kills with 356 kills and a 3.63 kill/set average and sixth in points, averaging 4.03 a set. Ricketts also has the second-most kills among the top 10. Fellow freshman Audrey Small is fifth in the ASUN in digs, registering a 4.56 digs/set average with her 447 digs second among the top 10. Sophomore Olivia Fenoff ranks fourth in the ASUN with 38 aces and a .41 ace per set average – totaling the third most in the conference. Ozsoy secured an eighth ranking with 686 assists and a 7.98 set average, and Brooks rounds out the leaderboard at seventh in kills with 290 and a 3.37 per set average.
AMONG THE BEST: North Alabama's backline defense has been among the best in the country, with the Lions ranking among the top 25 in the NCAA in digs. As of Nov. 6, the Lions are 21st in the nation in digs, with 1,597 on the season, while 34th in kills (1,232). Three individual Lions also rank among the national leaders, with Small ranking 19th in total digs and Fenoff ranking 46th in total service aces. Ricketts secures two rankings, being 37th in kills and 48th in points.
MILESTONE WATCH: North Alabama has several players that have either surpassed career marks or approaching them this season. Ozsoy surpassed the 1,000-assist mark against UT Martin on Sept. 6, with the senior getting her 1,500th career assist against Stetson on Oct. 20. Brooks accumulated her 500th kill against West Georgia on Oct. 25, while Tietz and Sargent secured their 100th career block earlier this season against UT Martin and Stetson, respectively. Senior Katy Floyd earned her 100th career service ace against Bellarmine on Oct. 6. Tietz approaches the 500-kill career mark, totaling 487 kills, and Ozsoy is close to 500-career digs with 478 for her career. Brooks is also approaching 100 career blocks with 95 for her career.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA has won seven of the last 10 contests, including a 5-1 record in matches played at CB&S Bank Arena. As the current six-match homestand concludes, North Alabama has gone 3-1 with wins against West Georgia, Queens and Central Arkansas. In that span, the Lions led in kills (555-554) and hitting percentage (.217 to .204), but the difference has come from the service line and net defense. In the past 10 matches, UNA has totaled 89 blocks and 71 service aces while opponents have 76 blocks and 53 aces, respectively.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: North Alabama opens the weekend against the Governors, who looks to even the season series after previously meeting earlier on Oct. 12. The Govs enter with a 2-23 record on the season, while 1-12 in the ASUN Conference. Austin Peay travels to Florence before heading to Central Arkansas, hoping to win its first true away match of the season. The Govs have two in the top 10 in service aces, with Kayleigh Ryan and Kalliann Cook seventh and 10th in the ASUN, respectively. The Governors interim head coach is Connor Crawford.
SERIES HISTORY: The Lions and Governors meet for the 11th time, as UNA leads the series 7-3. UNA overcame a 0-2 set deficit to rally and beat Austin Peay, 3-2, on Oct. 12.
SCOUTING LIPSCOMB: The Bisons come to the Shoals at 14-10 overall with a 11-2 record in the ASUN. Lipscomb is on a four-match win streak, with the Bisons victorious against conference members EKU, Bellarmine, Austin Peay and Queens. Against Queens last time out on Oct. 5, Lipscomb defeated the Royals in a 3-0 home sweep. Lipscomb leads the conference in opponent digs (12.34 per set), hitting percentage (.253), and opponent blocks (1.74), coming in second in opponent kills (11.34) and service aces (1.80) while third in opponent blocks (2.13) and opponent hitting percentage (.201) The Bisons are led in points by Courtney Jones, who's 3.90 points per set average is seventh in the ASUN and 3.35 kills per set eighth. The head coach is Brandon Rosenthal.
SERIES HISTORY: North Alabama looks to avenge an earlier season, five-set defeat at Lipscomb as the Lions and Bisons meet in the 16th all-time meeting. The Bisons lead the series, 14-1.
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