CONWAY, Ark. (September 30, 2025) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team travels to Central Arkansas on Wednesday, Oct. 1, for a midweek Atlantic Sun Conference matchup against the Sugar Bears.
The Lions are playing their third match in six days as both teams look to stay unbeaten in conference play. UNA enters at 8-7 overall and 2-0 in the ASUN, starting with two conference wins for the second time in three seasons. UNA seeks to start 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2015.
The matchup will be played at the Prince Center and is free of charge to all spectators. The match will stream on ESPN+, and live stats will be available courtesy of SIDEARM.
Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can also follow along in real time on the UNA Volleyball social media pages.
MATCH INFO
North Alabama at Central Arkansas
Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025
6 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Twitter
NOTES
SCOUTING THE LIONS: The first weekend of conference play resulted in two home sweeps over Austin Peay and Lipscomb on Sept. 26 and 28. The victory over the Bisons proved huge for the Lions, marking the second all-time win in the series history. It also marked the third sweep for North Alabama in four home matches. UNA posted its season-best hitting percentage against Austin Peay (.330) and hit .301 against Lipscomb.
TERRIFIC TWOS: Sophomores Reese Ricketts and Kinslee McGowan were named the ASUN Volleyball Player of the Week and Setter of the Week, respectively, on Monday, Sept. 29. Ricketts earned her first accolade of the season, while McGowan won her third Setter of the Week honor in four weeks. It also marked the second time this season UNA has earned two weekly awards. McGowan and freshman Jenna Kolosta were named the Setter of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively, on Sept. 8.
GURNER GOES OFF!: Sophomore Lankford Gurner put on a show against Lipscomb on Sept. 28, exploding for six service aces to set a Division I program record. She has 13 on the season, tied for ninth in the ASUN at 0.33 per set.
"SETTING" THE TONE: McGowan has been the point guard for the North Alabama Volleyball offense. She's tops in the conference in total assists (536) and assists per set (9.93). The sophomore is also tied for sixth in total aces (18) and tied for ninth in aces per set (0.33).
KENDALL ON THE ATTACK!: Junior Kendall Barnes has been UNA's leader on the attack, leading the team with 191 kills. She leads the ASUN in total kills and third in kills per set (3.54). Barnes has 214 points on the season to rank third in the conference for points per set (3.96).
ACING THE COMPETITION: Service ace extraordinaire Olivia Fenoff has provided added offense, totaling 24 on the season. Her ace total ranks her second in the ASUN and her 0.46 ace per set average is third.
RELIABLE RICKETTS: Sophomore Reese Ricketts is coming into form in her second season. She's second on the team with 155 kills and ranks eighth in the ASUN with 2.98 kills per set. Ricketts additionally ranks 10th in conference points per set at 3.39.
SURGING SARGENT: Junior Nicole Sargent has been finding her mark on the attack, leading her team with a .340 hitting percentage. Her percentages rank her seventh in the conference, totaling 79 kills on the season. Sargent also leads the team with 34 blocks.
KEATING ON THE BLOCK: Sophomore Amelia Keating is tied for ninth in the ASUN in blocks per set with 0.90. Keating set a career high with eight blocks against Liberty on Sept. 20.
DIGGIN' DEEP: Junior Ava Martindale is making the most in her first season as the starting libero for North Alabama. She leads the team with 179 total digs and a 3.31 digs per set average.
AMONG THE RANKS: UNA is ranked nationally in several individual statistics. Kinslee McGowan is 10th in the NCAA in total assists while 33rd in assists per set. Olivia Fenoff is 45th nationally in total service aces and 64th in aces per set. Kendall Barnes is 57th in total kills while 65th in points.
MILESTONE LIONS: North Alabama has seen four career milestones achieved at the season's halfway point. Fenoff tallied her 50th career service ace against Grambling State on Aug. 30. McGowan registered her 500th career assist against Alabama A&M on Sept. 2. Head Coach Tristan Johnson won his 50th career match on Sept. 12 in a three-set home sweep over Western Carolina. Ricketts recently surpassed 500 career kills against McNeese on Sept. 19.
IMPACT NEWCOMERS: The new faces for UNA Volleyball have been impactful early on the season. Martindale set a career high in digs against Southeast Missouri, with Barnes tallying a career-high 21 kills against Alabama A&M. Jenna Kolosta has also had a solid start at middle blocker with a season stat line of 60 kills, 27 blocks and 16 digs. Kolosta earned her first ASUN Freshman of the Week honor on Sept. 8. Junior Jessi Ritchhart has also contributed with a Division I career-high 12 digs against SEMO.
SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS: The Sugar Bears enter the matchup at 5-7 with a 2-0 ASUN record. Last time out, Central Arkansas had a 2-0 weekend with home victories over Lipscomb and Austin Peay on Sept. 26 and 28. The Sugar Bears have won three of their last four, including a 3-2 triumph over the SEC's Oklahoma. Central Arkansas leads the conference in blocks per set at 2.40. Karlyn Frazier has the ASUN lead in blocks per set at 1.32. Laci Bohannan is the points and kills leader with 143 points and 117 kills. The Sugar Bears are coached by John Newberry.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE SUGAR BEARS: The meeting marks the 16th all-time in the series history. North Alabama leads the series, 9-6, and have won three of the last four meetings.
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