FORT MYERS, Fla. (November 16, 2023) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team travels to Fort Myers, Fla. to take on Kennesaw State in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Quarterfinal on Thursday, Nov. 16. The Lions are making their first ASUN postseason appearance in program history following a record-setting season.
 
MATCHUPS
 
North Alabama vs Kennesaw State
Thursday, November 16
3 p.m.
Fort Myers, Fla.
 
Watch | Tickets | Official Bracket
 
NOTES
 
How We Got Here: The Lions turned in their best season in NCAA Division I program history to make an appearance in the ASUN Championship, finishing with an 17-11 overall record and a 9-7 mark in ASUN matches. The Lions closed out the regular season with a 3-0 sweep over Austin Peay to clinch the fifth seed in the tournament. UNA's nine ASUN wins mark the most in the Division I era, topping the old mark of three, which was matched last season. 
 
Scouting Kennesaw State: Kennesaw State enters the postseason with a 17-10 record, good enough to be seeded fourth in the ASUN Conference Tournament. The Owls are one of four schools seeded ahead of the Lions in the tournament, along with FGCU, Lipscomb and EKU. Bellarmine, Stetson and North Florida round out the rest of the participants. 
 
Series History: The two schools have met nine times prior in volleyball. The Lions are seeking their first victory over the Owls with an 0-8 record against Kennesaw State. KSU defeated UNA 3-1 in Kennesaw earlier this season. 
 
Bulara Surpasses 1000 Assists: With 30 digs in her final two matches of the regular season against Lipscomb and Austin Peay, graduate libero Luana Bulara surpassed the 1,000 dig mark for her career. Bulara closed out her two years at Division II Berry University with 601 digs before tallying 415 in the regular season with UNA. 
 
Approaching Milestones: The University of North Alabama has two players approaching milestones entering the postseason. Senior setter Kennedey Johnson enters the match against Kennesaw State with 999 assists. She is joined by graduate middle blocker Anna Katherine Griggs who is just 25 kills shy of 1,000 on her career with 975. Griggs has set a career-high for kills in a season with 296 so far this season. 
 
UNA in the Postseason: For the first time in the program's Division I history, the Lions will appear in the ASUN Volleyball Championship. The Lions are one of eight schools to participate in the 2023 edition of the tournament, with UNA closing the regular season as the No. 5 seed. UNA most recently appeared in the postseason in 2017 when the Lions made an appearance in both the Gulf South Conference Tournament and the NCAA South Regional at the Division II level. North Alabama took home a Division II National Championship in 2003.
 
Sargent Tabbed ASUN Freshman of the Week: UNA outside hitter Nicole Sargent was named ASUN Freshman of the Week following her performances against Lipscomb and Austin Peay to close out the regular season. Sargent registered seven kills, two assists, two blocks and a dig in the two matches. She finished the match against Austin Peay with six kills on a .444 hitting percentage. This is the first honor of Sargent's career and the fourth ASUN Freshman of the Week selection this season, following Avery Markham's three earlier this year.
 
Johnson Helps Lions to New Heights: In just his second season with the program, UNA Volleyball head coach Tristan Johnson has led the Lions to the most program wins of the Division I era for the second consecutive season. In his first season with the program, Johnson led the Lions to 13 victories in 2022, surpassing the old season-best mark of nine in 2021. Johnson has netted 17 victories so far this season to set a new total, ranking among the nation's leaders in turnarounds from 2021 to 2023.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.