HATTIESBURG, Miss. (February 21, 2025) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team secured the first win of the season Friday night, capping day one of the Beach Burg Invitational with a 4-1 win over Southern Miss.
The season opener arrived for the Lions in Mississippi, who debuted with a challenge in facing No. 6 Florida State and host school Southern Miss. North Alabama dropped its opening dual against the Seminoles to start but fought back to split day one with the victory over the Golden Eagles. UNA heads into day two with a 1-1 record.
Four different pairings achieved their first win of the new campaign, led by senior Ryenne Gepford and freshman Pien Grooters going undefeated with two wins. The top-flight tandem of senior Katy Floyd and junior Selma Robinson won for the first time in 2025, along with freshman Paige Griner and sophomore Aurora Bibolotti in their first action for UNA.
Junior pairing Lucy Wedding and Hailey Benesz won their first match as a pair against Southern Miss, while sophomore Hope Dicken and freshman Mabrey Whitehead secured an extra's win against the Golden Eagles.
Match 1 — #6 Florida State 4, North Alabama 1
North Alabama dropped its contest against No. 6 Florida State, but Gepford and Grooters were the highlight from court two with an opening win. They secured a straight-set victory over the Seminoles' Gella Andrew and Myriah Massey, 21-18, 21-18, also earning the duo's first win as a pair.
The remaining four matches were straight-set wins for the Florida State, but the extra match turned into a three-set battle between UNA's Mabrey Whitehead and Marti McLaurin and FSU's Kyleene Filimaua.
Whitehead and McLaurin struck first with a 21-16 first-set victory, followed by Filimaua and Flaherty taking the second set, 21-17. The final set was determined by three points but went in favor of Seminole duo, 15-12.
Court 1: Alexis Durish/Audrey Koenig (FSU) def. Selma Robinson/Katy Floyd (UNA), 21-15, 21-13
Court 2. Ryenne Gepford/Pien Grooters (UNA) def. Gella Andrew/Myriah Massey (FSU), 21-18, 21-18
Court 3: Bailey Higgins/Carra Sassack (FSU) def. Lucy Wedding/Hailey Benesz (UNA), 21-11, 21-7
Court 4: Makenna Wolfe/Maddie Trusty (FSU) def. Paige Griner/Aurora Bibolotti (UNA), 21-13, 21-15
Court 5: Kenzie Hultquist/Jordan Boulware (FSU) def. Sarah Larkin Lewis/Kaitlyn Holbrook (UNA), 21-15, 21-16
Extra: Kyleene Filimaua/McKenna Flaherty (FSU) def. Mabrey Whitehead/Marti McLaurin (UNA), 16-21, 21-17, 15-12
Order of Finish: (4,5,6,1,3,2)
Match 2 — North Alabama 4, Southern Miss 1
The Lions rebounded from the opening defeat to No. 6 Florida State with a strong 4-1 win over Southern Miss. North Alabama earned the second all-time win over the Golden Eagles, taking the dual with wins from the top four flights.
Southern Miss registered the first win from flight No. 5, but UNA bounced back with three-set victory from Wedding and Benesz. The duo defeated Jaden White and Kitija Mar Adamsone, recovering from a dropped first set to win, 16-21, 21-15, 15-7. Griner and Bibolotti followed with a 21-14, 21-11 triumph over Y-Nhu Do and Dylan Russell for the second UNA win.
The clinching win came from Gepford and Grooters, who earned their second win of the day with a straight-set triumph over Laurel Dennis and Sadie McAda. The Lions' pairing needed to win by two for both sets but got the job done with a 22-20, 22-20 victory.
Floyd and Robinson had to work for their first win of the season but ultimately earned the win with a three-set thriller from the top flight. The two dropped the first set, 21-17, but recovered for a convincing 21-14 second set. Set three was a close affair throughout, but the top-flight pair secured their win with a 15-13 final set over Southern Miss's Zuzanna Michalska and Madison Cassidy.
In extras, Hope Dicken and Mabrey Whitehead were victorious over Wiio Meinheit and Carmen Sanc Delgado in straight sets, 21-17, 25-23.
Court 1: Selma Robinson/Katy Floyd (UNA) def. Zuzanna Michalska/Madison Cassidy (USM) 17-21, 21-14, 15-13
Court 2: Ryenne Gepford/Pien Grooters (UNA) def. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM) 22-20, 22-20
Court 3: Paige Griner/Aurora Bibolotti (UNA) def. Y-Nhu Do/Dylan Russell (USM) 21-14, 21-11
Court 4: Lucy Wedding/Hailey Benesz (UNA) def. Jaden White/Kitija Mar Adamsone (USM) 16-21, 21-15, 15-7
Court 5: Giovanna Gurg Bahia/Ryann Thomas (USM) def. Sarah Larkin Lewis/Marti McLaurin (USM) 21-15, 21-18
Extra: Hope Dicken/Mabrey Whitehead (UNA) def. Wiio Meinheit/Carmen Sanc Delgado (USM) 21-17, 25-23
Order of Finish: (5,6,4,3,2,1)
COMING UP NEXT
The Beach Burg Invitational continues with day two on Saturday against Atlantic Sun Conference foe FGCU at 8 a.m. The Lions conclude the weekend at 12:20 p.m. against No. 8 LSU.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
