FLORENCE, Ala. (September 21, 2023) – North Alabama Volleyball (9-4, 1-0 ASUN) will play two Atlantic Sun Conference matches this weekend, as the Lions face off against Austin Peay (7-6) on Friday, Sept. 22 and Lipscomb on Sunday, Sept. 24. The two matches will be played at CB&S Bank Arena inside Flowers Hall in Florence, Ala. at 6 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
The Lions are coming off an unbeaten week, going 4-0 from Sept. 11-17. In those matches, they defeated Alabama A&M, 3-1, last Tuesday, while going 3-0 in the UNA Invitational from Sept. 15-16, beating Central Arkansas, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State.
UNA looks to continue their run of form as they welcome the Governors and Bisons to Florence with ASUN Conference play in full swing.
Tickets can be purchased through the ticket portal on roarlions.com, and live stats will be provided for the match through StatBroadcast. The matches will also be livestreamed on ESPN+.
MATCHUP
Game 1
North Alabama vs. Austin Peay
Friday, September 22
6 p.m.
Game Notes | Live Stats | Tickets | Watch
Game 2
North Alabama vs. Lipscomb
Sunday, September 24
1 p.m.
Game Notes | Live Stats | Tickets | Watch
NOTES
First Things First: The Lions competed in their last invitational of the season, hosting the UNA Invitational on Sept. 15-17, hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Central Arkansas and Mississippi Valley State. UNA picked up their first conference win against the Sugar Bears and registered their most efficient attacking performance of the season in victories over the Lady Lions and Devilettes. With a .481 and .378 attack percentage against Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, respectively, North Alabama will look to continue to keep the offense rolling heading into conference play.
The Lions' Share of Awards: On Monday, graduate middle blocker/right side hitter Anna Katherine Griggs and freshman outside hitter Avery Markham were named ASUN Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively, for the week of Sept. 11-17. Griggs set her career high in kills on Sept. 12 with 19 in the Lions' 3-1 win against Alabama A&M. She recorded 49 kills with a .506 hitting percentage, 14 blocks, three digs and a service ace during the week. Markham earned her second consecutive and third overall ASUN Freshman of the Week award after a 31 kill, 45 dig, three block and service ace week for UNA, while also registering a .972 reception percentage on 72 service receptions. She had a double-double performance with 10 kills and 16 digs in the 3-1 win against Central Arkansas en route to the Lions' first conference win of the season.
Meeting History: It will be the Lions' eighth time meeting the Governors and 13th time going to battle with the Bisons in volleyball. All-time, the Lions maintain a 4-3 advantage over Austin Peay but trail 1-11 against Lipscomb. In the last meeting, the Governors defeated the Lions 3-1 in a home ASUN Conference match on Oct. 21, 2022 in Clarksville, Tenn. Meanwhile, Lipscomb claimed a 3-0 road win over UNA on Nov. 13, 2022 in Florence.
Scouting the Governors: Austin Peay (7-6) is coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Kansas City Classic in Kansas City, Mo. from Sept. 15-16. The Governors defeated Saint Louis on the first day of the invitational on but fell to Kansas City and Southeast Missouri on day two. Graduate right side hitter Mikayla Powell leads the Governors with 220.5 points, registering an ASUN Conference high 197 kills, ten kills and seven service aces on offense. The Overland Park, Kansas native is second on the team in blocks with 30, adding 81 digs and a .926 reception percentage. Austin Peay is led by Taylor Mott in her 10th season.
Scouting the Bisons: Lipscomb (5-5) enters the conference portion of the season after defeating the Belmont Bruins, 3-0, in the "Battle of the Boulevard" this past Tuesday. A player to watch for the Bisons is senior libero Delaney Smith. She has registered 134 digs on the season — good for 10th in the ASUN Conference — and boasts a .968 reception percentage on 189 total attempts. The Cincinnati, Ohio native has 28 assists to her name, while her 22 service aces leads the conference. Brandon Rosenthal is at the helm for the Bisons in his 21st season.
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