FLORENCE, Ala. (September 26, 2025) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team opens its 2025 fall season Saturday, Sept. 27 by hosting the UNA Fall Invitational at the UNA Beach Volleyball Courts.
The debut event sees the Lions welcoming two Ohio Valley Conference teams to the UNA Beach Volleyball Courts. North Alabama faces a familiar foe in the UT Martin Skyhawks and also welcomes the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.
UNA begins its third fall campaign, serving as preparation for the championship spring season. The inaugural fall slate in 2023 led to a record-setting 2024 spring, while last fall laid the foundation for a solid performance in Spring 2025.
Play begins at 10 a.m. with a pairs round-robin format. Each team will have pairs compete in two to three matches against pairs from the opposing teams.
Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can also follow along on the UNA Beach Volleyball social media pages.
ABOUT THE TEAMS
NORTH ALABAMA: UNA returns 11 players from the 2024-25 squad, including senior Selma Robinson — one half of the 2025 ASUN Pair of the Year. Other key returners are 2025 All-Freshman Team selections Paige Griner and Mabrey Whitehead, along with senior Hailey Benesz, who won the 2025 AVCA Top Flight Award with former standout Kaitlyn Holbrook. Head coach Kaleb VanDePerre enters his fourth season following an 18-15 overall record and 7-4 conference record this past spring. In 2024, he became the first UNA coach to win an ASUN Coach of the Year award following a 22-13 record.
TENNESSEE TECH: The Golden Eagles won five matches during the Spring 2025 season, including two wins in the Ohio Valley Conference. Tennessee Tech additionally added a victory in OVC Tournament, defeating Eastern Illinois, 3-1. The Golden Eagles and Lions have never met in the championship season.
UT MARTIN: The Skyhawks were winners of 24 matches in Spring 2025. UT Martin made it to the OVC Championship Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons but dropped the finals match to Chattanooga, 2-3. The Lions and Skyhawks have met 12 times during the championship season with UNA leading 8-4. The two teams played five times in 2024-25. North Alabama claimed two wins during the fall campaign and one in spring.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
