MARTIN, Tenn. (September 6, 2024) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep Friday night over UT Martin, splitting the day's two contests at the Skyhawk Invitational in Martin, Tenn.
The Lions gained the win over the Skyhawks after dropping the opening match to Missouri State in a 3-0 defeat. Hours later, it was UNA that would sweep its opponent after holding off UT Martin in the competitive bout. North Alabama's offense led the way in the victory, finishing with 50 kills to go with five service aces.
UNA earns its second win of the season to move to 2-4 on the year. Missouri State finished 2-0 in the day's action to improve to 4-2, while UT Martin falls to 2-3.
After Friday's matches, freshman Reese Ricketts leads all players with 30.5 points, totaling 29 kills, 29 digs and three blocks. The double-double threat proved to be a consistent presence on the court with averages of 14.5 kills and 14.5 digs per match. Senior Brenna Tietz finished second in points with 24.5 points on 22 kills, rounded out by sophomore Nicole Sargent with 16.5 points on 14 kills. Nine of Sargent's 14 kills came in the opening match against Missouri State, setting a new single-match career high.
The setting duo of senior Elif Ozsoy and freshman Kinslee McGowan racked up the assists with 36 and 32, respectively, while sophomore Olivia Fenoff added three more service aces to her tally. Five Lions secured double-digit digs, led by freshman Audrey Small, and freshman Autumn Holmes proved to be a force at the net with a team-leading six blocks.
MATCH 1: MISSOURI STATE 3, North Alabama 0
The opening match proved a battle for the Lions, who dropped the opening invitational match to a quality Bears team. Missouri State got out to a fast start with a 6-1 scoring run, but North Alabama closed the gap with a 9-4 run to tie the first set.
With the score at 10 apiece, UNA gained its first lead with a 5-1 run, led by two kills from Tietz and one from graduate Jasmine Brooks. Ricketts, junior Hayley Martin and Sargent provided additional contributions on the offensive end, but the Bears continued to trim the lead with the set ending.
The set remained close down the stretch, with UNA earning a set point with the score at 24-22. The Missouri State offense responded with an ensuing 4-0 run to take the set with a 26-24 win.
North Alabama had a better start to begin the second set, but timely offense continued to spark the Missouri State offense. The Lions' defense held the Bears to their lowest hitting set percentage with .173, but three service aces from Missouri State proved to be difference-makers. Despite six kills from Ricketts, the Lions fell in set two, 25-21.
Another Missouri State scoring run opened the third set, with the Bears jumping out to a 7-1 lead. UNA trailed for the majority of the set, but the Lions continued to fight back to trim the deficit. Trailing 16-11, a momentum shift for UNA ignited a 7-4 scoring run to cut the Missouri State lead to two. North Alabama went on a following 6-4 run to force the final set into a win-by-two situation, but two ensuing kills ended the match with the competitive set ending at 26-24.
MATCH 1: NORTH ALABAMA 3, UT Martin 0
UT Martin began the match as the aggressors, gaining the advantage early by jumping out to a 10-4 lead. The Lions chipped away at the lead, leading to an 11-5 scoring run by UNA to tie the match. Tietz's nine first-set kills paced the North Alabama offense, but the Skyhawks remained close with the set coming to an end. The back-and-forth affair continued until a win-by-two situation arrived, but kills from Tietz and Ricketts concluded the first set at 26-24.
Set two began evenly amongst the two teams, but with UNA leading 5-4, the Skyhawks went on a 6-1 scoring run to gain a 10-6 lead. The two teams were back-and-forth with UT Martin leading 12-8 when the Lions answered back with an 8-2 run to take a 16-14 lead.
The Skyhawks kept it close toward the end of the set, but too much offense from UNA gave the Lions a 25-20 set win with one set remaining. Ricketts proved to be instrumental in set two with eight kills, but three kills from Tietz and two each from Sargent, Holmes and Brooks sparked a 17-kill outing in the second frame.
The third set saw UT Martin once again gain the upper hand early, building an 8-4 lead in set three. North Alabama scored four-straight points to tie the set, with the two teams alternating points up to the 11-11 mark.
A 6-2 run from the Skyhawks forced a UNA timeout after jumping out to a 17-13 lead, but the Lions' timeout paid off with an ensuing 6-2 run to tie the set at 19. A clutch 5-2 run fueled by Fenoff, Tietz and Ricketts gave the Lions a 24-21 lead The Skyhawks answered with two points, but UNA held on to earn its first win of the invitational.
UP NEXT
North Alabama concludes the Skyhawk Invitational on Saturday, facing Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 11 a.m.
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