TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (September 17, 2024) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team travels to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday to face Alabama at 6 p.m. inside Foster Auditorium.
The Lions face their second opponent from the Southeastern Conference this season, meeting the Crimson Tide in a road contest after opening the season at Auburn. The Alabama match will start a four-match week for UNA, as the Lions look to start the week strong at Alabama.
Tickets are on sale and available online through the Alabama ticket office. The match will also be streamed on SEC Network+, and live stats will be provided through StatBroadcast.
Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can also follow along in real time on the UNA Volleyball social media pages.
MATCH INFO
North Alabama at Alabama
Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024
6 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Twitter
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: The Lions hosted the UNA Invitational from Sept. 13-14, welcoming Arkansas State, UAB and Jacksonville State to CB&S Bank Arena. UNA started strong against the Red Wolves to open the weekend but fell to Arkansas State, 3-1. The Lions also fell to UAB by a 3-0 score in the second match. Jacksonville State narrowly defeated UNA, 3-2.
A TEAM EFFORT: North Alabama is in the top three of three statistical categories as a team, ranking among the best ASUN teams in opponent service aces, opponent blocks and digs. The Lions lead the conference in opponent service aces (1.0 per set) and opponent blocks (1.73 per set) while second in digs (17.16 per set).
LEADERBOARD LIONS: Three individual Lions have also made an early impact with top 10 rankings in respective categories. Freshman Audrey Small is second in the ASUN in digs, registering 172 total digs for a 4.65 digs/set average. Ricketts is sixth in kills with a 3.43 kill/set average and 10th in points, averaging 3.72 a set. Sophomore Olivia Fenoff rounds out the leaderboard Lions with 13 service aces and a .36 ace/set average – good for ninth in the ASUN.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama looks to get back in the win column after their last outing at the UNA Invitational. The Lions face four opponents this week, starting with the lone match against Alabama before heading to the Central Arkansas Invitational on Sept. 20-21. UNA will have its first Atlantic Sun Conference match against the Sugar Bears before concluding the weekend against Jackson State and Little Rock. The weekend also serves as North Alabama's last invitational of the regular season.
SCOUTING ALABAMA: The Crimson Tide plays the first of their two home matches Wednesday night against the Lions, as they will welcome nationally-ranked Florida State on Saturday. Alabama enters the matchup at 8-1 and in the midst of the three-match winning streak. Last time out, the Crimson Tide went 3-0 at the Roadrunner Classic at Texas-San Antonio with wins against Sam Houston, UTSA and ASUN foe Central Arkansas. One to watch for Alabama is Ellery Rees, who was named the Tournament MVP of the Roadrunner Classic. Rashinda Reed is the head coach, in her third season at the helm.
MORE TIES FOR JOHNSON: For the second-straight week, Tristan Johnson will be facing one of his former teams. A 2014 graduate of Alabama, Johnson spent two seasons as an assistant at his alma mater. He went 36-24 in his two seasons as a full-time assistant. Last week, Johnson faced Arkansas State, where he also served as an assistant coach.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE CRIMSON TIDE: According to the Alabama record book, this is the 14th all-time meeting between the Lions and Crimson Tide. The last meeting came on Oct. 23, 1978, with Alabama winning 3-0 in Florence, Ala. North Alabama's available records for volleyball date back to 1979.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
