FLORENCE, Ala. (September 28, 2023) – With Atlantic Sun Conference play in full swing, North Alabama Volleyball (10-5, 2-1 ASUN) heads to Kentucky for a two-match slate against EKU on Friday, Sept. 29 and Bellarmine on Saturday, Sept. 30.

 The Lions will play the Colonels at Alumni Coliseum at 5 p.m. while the match against the Knights will take place in Knights Hall at 3 p.m.

The Lions picked up one win in last weekend's match against Austin Peay, winning 3-0 on Sept. 22 at CB&S Bank Arena inside Flowers Hall. They dropped their first ASUN Conference match of the season to the Lipscomb Bisons on Sept. 24 in three sets.

UNA will be well-traveled for their next matches, as it treks to four different states for the next five matchups. The Lions' next home game will not be until Oct. 20 against North Florida.

Tickets are available for purchase for the match against EKU. The Bellarmine match is free admission. Live stats will be provided for the matches through StatBroadcast and SIDEARM. The matches will also be streamed on ESPN+.

MATCHUP
 

Game 1

North Alabama at EKU

Friday, September 29

5 p.m.

Game Notes | Live Stats | Tickets | Watch

Game 2

North Alabama at Bellarmine

Saturday, September 30

3 p.m.

Game Notes | Live Stats | Watch

NOTES

 

First Things First: The Lions played their first full weekend of ASUN conference matches on Friday, Sept. 22 and Sunday, Sept. 24, going 1-1 in the two matches. UNA had its third straight sweep of an opponent, beating the Austin Peay Governors in three sets before falling to the Lipscomb Bisons in the Sunday match in three sets. The matches put North Alabama fifth in the ASUN with a 2-1 record to go with a 10-5 record overall — the second-highest overall win total in the conference behind EKU at 12.

Meeting History: The Lions have taken the court against the Colonels and Knights a total of three and six times, respectively. All-time, UNA is 1-2 against EKU and 1-5 against the Bellarmine. In the last meeting, North Alabama defeated EKU in straight sets during a home ASUN match on Oct. 2, 2022. In the last meeting with Bellarmine, the Knights took the Lions to five sets en route to a 3-2 road win over UNA on Sept. 30, 2022 in Florence.

Scouting the Colonels: EKU (12-2, 2-0 ASUN) is coming off a five-set win over Kennesaw State on Sept. 23, 2023 to extend their current win streak to 11 matches. The Colonels have the highest win overall win total in the ASUN Conference with 12 wins and currently sit behind Lipscomb for second in the conference. Senior defensive specialist/libero Josie Schmitendorf is one to watch for the Colonels, as she is second in the conference in digs for EKU. The Huntley, Ill. Native has 234 digs on the year to go with 69 assists, eight service aces and two kills. Johnna Bazzani leads the Colonels in her fifth season at the helm.

Scouting the Knights: Bellarmine (3-11, 1-1 ASUN) enters the match against North Alabama after getting their first win in the ASUN Conference against Queens in five sets on Sept. 23. The Knights sit behind UNA in the conference in sixth despite just having three overall wins. A player to watch for Bellarmine is senior defensive specialist/libero Anna Lococo from Louisville, Ky. She ranks fifth in the ASUN with 204 digs this season. She also boasts a .912 reception percentage on 261 total attempts with 39 assists, 11 service aces and six kills. The Knights are coached by Rick Nold in his second season.