CONWAY, Ark. (September 19, 2024) – Coming off a thrilling 3-0 sweep over the University of Alabama on Wednesday, the University of North Alabama volleyball team continues their four-match week this Friday at the Central Arkansas Invitational in Conway, Ark.
UNA opens the weekend on Friday, Sept. 20 with its first Atlantic Sun Conference matchup against hosts Central Arkansas. The Lions follow up with two matches on Saturday, Sept. 21, beginning with a 10 a.m. bout against Jackson State and ending with a noon match against Little Rock.
The Lions embark on their last regular-season invitational with matchups against Jackson State and Little Rock, along with the ASUN opener against Central Arkansas.
The invitational will be played at the Prince Center on the campus of Central Arkansas and is free of charge to all spectators.
Only the Lions' match against the Sugar Bears will be streamed on ESPN+, but live stats will be provided for all three matches through StatBroadcast. Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action each day, but fans can also follow along in real time on the UNA Volleyball social media pages.
MATCH 1
North Alabama at Central Arkansas
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024
6:00 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Twitter
MATCH 2
North Alabama vs Jackson State
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024
10:00 a.m.
Live Stats | Twitter
MATCH 3
North Alabama vs Little Rock
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024
NOON
Live Stats | Twitter
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: The University of North Alabama volleyball team won for the fourth time this season in monumental fashion, defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide in a 3-0 sweep in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Lions made program history from Foster Auditorium, playing Alabama for the first time since 1978 and beating Alabama for the first time since 1975. It also marked the first volleyball win for UNA over an SEC opponent since defeating Mississippi State 3-1 in 1986.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: The Lions improved to 4-7 on the season with their win over Alabama, handing the Crimson Tide only their second loss of the season to move to 8-2. It also ended a four-match home winning streak for Alabama that dates back to last season. UNA led with 41 kills on a .257 hitting percentage to the Crimson Tide's 38 kills and .133 hitting percentage. The defense also shined for North Alabama with the Lions securing team match highs with 51 digs and six blocks.
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 blocks, opponent service aces and digs. The Lions lead the conference in opponent blocks and opponent service aces with an average of 1.68 and 1.03 per set, respectively. UNA is also second in digs with 17.15 digs per set for a total of 686.
LEADERBOARD LIONS: Four individual Lions have also made an early impact with top 10 rankings in respective categories. Freshman Reese Ricketts is third in kills with 142 kills and a 3.55 kill/set average and seventh in points, averaging 3.85 a set. Freshman Audrey Small is fourth in the ASUN in digs, registering a 4.58 digs/set average with her 183 digs second among the top 10. Sophomore Olivia Fenoff comes in sixth with 15 service aces and a .38 ace/set average, and senior Elif Ozsoy is 10th in the conference with 232 assists and a 5.80 set average.
SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS: The Sugar Bears are 1-8 on the season and are coming off an 0-3 week which saw defeats against Grand Canyon, Colorado State and Oregon at the Roadrunner Classic. Central Arkansas will look for its first win since Aug. 30, which came in a 3-0 victory over Tarleton State. The Sugar Bears are led in points by Regan Harp with 81 kills, while Caylan Koons is third in the ASUN with a 9.06 assists per set. Central Arkansas is coached by John Newberry in his seventh season.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE SUGAR BEARS: North Alabama leads the series against Central Arkansas with an 8-5 all-time record. The last meeting on Oct. 25, 2023 saw the Lions defeat the Sugar Bears in Conway, Ark. with a 3-1 win.
SCOUTING JACKSON STATE: The Tigers enter the weekend at 3-5, with their last outing coming in a 3-0 home defeat to Southern Miss on Sept. 18. Jackson State will look to shake a three-match skid after also dropping previous matches to Eastern Illinois and Memphis. Alexis Williams leads the team with 105.5 points, totaling 90 kills with a team-leading 11 service aces. She was previously named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 11. Jackson State's head coach is Marcus Hereford.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE TIGERS: This marks the fifth meeting in volleyball between the Lions and Tigers. North Alabama leads the series 3-1 with the last match resulting in a 3-1 win for Jackson State in 1993.
SCOUTING LITTLE ROCK: The in-state Trojans make the short trip to Conway, entering the weekend at an even 5-5 record. The last outing saw Little Rock drop three matches at the Ole Miss Invitational with losses to FGCU, Drake and Ole Miss. The Trojans have lost five of their last six matches with the last win coming on Sept. 6 against Rutgers. Jeila Fullerton has a team-high 138.5 points for Little Rock, leading the team with 122 kills while second with 107 digs. One of the longest tenured coaches in NCAA volleyball, Van Compton leads the Trojans in her 37th season in Little Rock.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE TROJANS: North Alabama and Little Rock are set for only the fourth-ever meeting on the hardwood. The last meeting on Aug. 25, 2023 saw UNA gain its first-ever win over the Trojans in a 3-0 sweep at the A-State Invitational.
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