FLORENCE, Ala. (October 26, 2025) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team won its seventh home match and sixth Atlantic Sun Conference match of the season Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Bellarmine in CB&S Bank Arena.
The Lions (12-11, 6-4 ASUN) ended the weekend on a high note, taking the home victory over the Knights (10-12, 4-6 ASUN) in a solid display. The match was even throughout the opening two sets, but UNA's offense surged in sets three and four to overcome Bellarmine in Florence.
North Alabama now moves to 7-2 in CB&S Bank Arena.
Sophomore Reese Ricketts and junior Kendall Barnes tallied 12 and 11 kills, respectively, to lead the attack. Ricketts registered the match high while Barnes tied for the second most. Sophomore Dylann Garner was third with eight kills and provided efficient attacks with a match-high .471 hitting percentage.
Sophomore Kinslee McGowan had a match-leading 33 assists, and junior Ava Martindale tallied a team-high 14 digs. Junior Nicole Sargent and sophomore Lankford Gurner had two aces to lead the Lions. Barnes rounded out UNA's leader with a career-high five blocks.
North Alabama opened with the advantage in a 25-20 set win. Barnes had a strong opening frame with five kills to help UNA claim the first point. The Lions' three aces provided more offensive spark thanks to two from Sargent and one from Gurner.
Set two saw another solid start from the Lions, but a late run by the Knights helped even the match at one apiece. UNA led by as many as seven, but Bellarmine went on a 9-0 run to end the second frame. North Alabama had a 21-16 lead before the run.
UNA had great performances on both offense and defense in set three, overcoming the second set setback with a 25-11 win. The Lions had only eight kills, but they committed no attack errors and had help from service and the defense. Three aces and three blocks shifted the momentum back to North Alabama while holding Bellarmine to a .000 hitting percentage.
The Lions built on the set three performance with a second-straight stellar frame. UNA had its highest attacking set with a .323 attack percentage and was led by the offensive efforts of Ricketts. She had six kills on eight attacks for a .750 hitting percentage, adding to the 13 kills from North Alabama in the set. The Lions closed the match out with a 25-15 fourth set victory.
The Lions are back in CB&S Bank Arena next time out on Wednesday, Oct. 29 to host Central Arkansas at 6 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
