EVANSVILLE, Ind., – Lexie Bradley had 31 kills and Ashtyn Kapovich recorded 34 digs as the University of North Alabama volleyball team notched a pair of victories on the opening day of the Dunn Hospitality Invitational on the campus of Southern Indiana. The Lions knocked off Cedarville (25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 26-24) and Northwood (28-26, 25-18, 25-20) to improve to 4-2 on the season.

The opening set against Cedarville featured eight ties before the Lions got the win. UNA hits .333 as a team with Jessica Austin and Christina Ellwanger recording four kills each. Cedarville was held to a .176 hitting percentage.

North Alabama used a 6-0 run in the second set to turn a 5-2 deficit into an 8-5 lead and force a Yellow Jacket timeout. After a kill by Ana Gabriela Pacheco extended the UNA lead to 13-7, Cedarville got within a single point three times but could never catch up. Bradley had six kills, two service aces and a block in the frame to lead the Lions.

UNA trailed by as many as seven in the third set before rallying. Cedarville led 14-7 before UNA came back to tie the score at 20-20 and again at 22-22. The Yellow Jackets, however, took advantage of a pair of UNA service errors down the stretch to get the 25-22 win. The Lions were held to a .104 hitting percentage in the game as Cedarville avoided the sweep.

The final set featured a similar script as the third with Cedarville building an early lead before watching the Lions rally. This time, however, UNA was able to complete the comeback. Trailing 19-14, North Alabama closed the game on a 12-5 run to win the match.

Cedarville had a set point at 24-23 before three straight UNA points ended the match. A kill by Ellwanger and consecutive Yellow Jacket errors gave the Lions the win.

For the match, Bradley finished with 18 kills to lead all players. Ellwanger added 13 kills while Austin had 12 kills. Kapovich recorded 18 digs while Jayden Davila-McClary turned in a double-double with 35 assists and 16 digs.

Against Northwood, UNA recorded its first sweep of the season. The Lions rallied to win the opening set before running away over the final two frames.

In the opening set, the Timberwolves maintained an early lead and held a 19-14 advantage late in the contest. After a kill by Austin and a service aces by Sina Faulk, three straight kills by Ellwanger tied the score. Northwood regained the lead before the score was tied six more times, including a 26-26 deadlock. An attack error against the Timberwolves, followed by a kill by Austin ended the game and gave the Lions the early lead.

North Alabama hit over .300 in the next two sets while holding Northwood to a sub-.200 showing to get the sweep.

Ellwanger finished with 15 kills and 11 digs to lead the Lions. Bradley and Austin added 13 kills each while Davila-McClary had 43 assists and a match-high 17 digs. Kapovich added 16 digs while Ava Carnley (12 digs) rounded out the top performers for the match.

UNA will close out play at the event with two matches on Saturday. The Lions will take on Purdue Northwest at 11:30 a.m., followed by a 7 p.m. showdown against host Southern Indiana.

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