HOUSTON, Texas. (September 20, 2025) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team ended the Cougar Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 20 with a 3-0 defeat to Houston and a 3-2 loss to Liberty in Houston, Texas.
The Lions (6-7) concludes the weekend's outing with one win, secured on Friday, Sept. 19 in a victory over McNeese. North Alabama also concludes its non-conference schedule with the Lions set for Atlantic Sun Conference play next Friday.
UNA was competitive in both the day's matchups. Eight points proved the difference against Houston (6-4) while North Alabama pushed former ASUN foe Liberty (12-1) to five sets, nearly handing the Lady Flames their second loss. The Lions also finished with a season high in blocks against Liberty (13 total) with their second-highest kill (61) and dig (65) performance on the season.
Junior Kendall Barnes and sophomore Reese Ricketts led the attack, finishing with 26 and 25 kills, respectively. Junior Nicole Sargent added 18, including a team-high 10 against Houston. Barnes and Ricketts each tallied 17 kills against Liberty.
Sophomore Kinslee McGowan led the Lions in assists, service aces and digs on the day.
She had 71 assists, totaling a match-high 42 assists against Liberty with an additional 29 against Houston. McGowan had career-high five aces against the Lady Flames with 20 total digs across both matches. She led against Liberty with 13 while Ricketts totaled 10 against the Cougars.
Sophomore Amelia Keating was a force at the net with 11 total blocks. She had a career-high eight against Liberty with a team-leading three against Houston.
MATCH 1: Houston 3, North Alabama 0
North Alabama and Houston had a battle in the opening set. The Cougars started strong with a 6-1 run, but the Lions responded with an 8-3 run to tie the set at 9-9. The two teams went back and forth midway through, but a 4-0 Houston run helped regained the lead at 18-14. North Alabama charged back in the set, outscoring the Cougars 9-4 to take back the advantage at 23-22. UNA forced a win-by-two situation, but Houston took set one, 27-25.
An even start in set two led to both teams tied at 7-7. Momentum shifted towards the Cougars with the hosts scoring five-straight points for the 12-7 lead. The early run made the difference, with Houston fending off the Lions to win set two, 25-20.
North Alabama answered with a better start to begin set three. The Lions struck first for a 9-6 lead and maintained the advantage for the majority of the frame. UNA held a 23-18 lead, but a 7-0 Houston run fueled the comeback toward the end for the 25-23 set win.
MATCH 2: Liberty 3, North Alabama 2
The Lions had a solid start to open against Liberty with three straight points. Sargent opened with a kill with a block from McGowan and Keating sparking the early lead. UNA held the lead until the Lady Flames took the 8-7 advantage off a block against sophomore Dylann Garner. The teams exchanged points until the 12-12 mark when a 4-0 Liberty run gave them the 16-12 lead.
The Lady Flames maintained the advantage to the end of set one, but the Lions fought back. UNA cut the Liberty lead to 24-23 when the Lady Flames secured set one with a 25-23 score.
North Alabama struck back in set two to tie the match at 1-1.
The Lions never trailed and separated themselves early to take their first frame of the day. Tied at 5-5, UNA took a 10-5 advantage with five straight points. The run started with a Keating kill, followed by a block from Keating and Garner. Barnes' service ace made the score 8-5, and Keating secured a second kill for the 10th point.
Maintaining the lead, North Alabama all but secured the set with a late 7-0 run to make it 23-11. Three aces from McGowan led the charge and helped win the set for UNA, 25-12.
UNA doubled their set lead with another positive outing in the third frame. The Lions had a second-straight set of leading the entire way, using runs midway through the frame to take a 2-1 advantage. North Alabama had its first big run leading 8-7 when a five-straight points made the score 13-7.
Liberty worked its way back to tie the set, 15-15, but the Lions' 6-1 ensuing run put UNA back up 21-16. The run was highlighted by Garner with two kills and a block alongside Sargent. It proved crucial towards UNA winning the set, 25-19.
The Lions were en route to take set four, but a late Liberty rally sent the match to a deciding set. North Alabama led through the midway mark when the Lady Flames used a 6-0 run for a 17-16 lead. The teams alternated points until the 20-20 mark with Liberty outscoring the Lions, 5-2, to take set four.
The final frame saw UNA start strong with a 5-1 advantage. Freshman Ally Greenwell secured her first career service ace to open the scoring with Sargent and Ricketts combining for a block and kill each to lead the charge. The Lions held firm with a 9-5 lead when the Lady Flames' 6-0 run took back the lead at 11-9.
Liberty's run took back momentum en route to a 15-10 set win to take the match.
UP NEXT
The Lions open Atlantic Sun Conference play on Friday, Sept. 26, taking on Austin Peay in CB&S Bank Arena at 6 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
