FLORENCE, Ala. (October 29, 2024) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team is set for midweek volleyball action Wednesday night in an important conference showdown against the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears in CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall.
UNA continues its six-match home stand against the Sugar Bears, setting up a matchup between two of the top teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Central Arkansas is second in the ASUN standings, while North Alabama is tied for fourth. North Alabama also seeks to even the season series, looking to avenge a three-set defeat on Sept. 20 to the Sugar Bears.
The match will be available for streaming on ESPN+, and live stats will be provided courtesy of StatBroadcast. Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following each match, but fans can follow along in real time on the UNA Volleyball social media pages.
Parking near the Hal Self Athletic Annex will be limited due to Bank Independent Stadium construction. Violators will be towed if parked in the construction zone. Fans are encouraged to park in the lots below the arena, along Circular Road and North Pine Street.
Limited handicap parking will also be available in front of the annex and the CB&S Bank Arena ticket office.
MATCH INFO
North Alabama vs. Central Arkansas
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
6 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Twitter
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: The Lions finished unbeaten in home action against West Georgia and Queens last week. UNA swept the Wolves in the first meeting since 2017, then followed up with a come-from-behind, five-set thriller against the Royals. UNA trailed 2-0 and won the final three sets.
A TEAM EFFORT: North Alabama is in the top three of four ASUN statistical categories as a team, ranking among the best ASUN teams in opponent blocks, opponent service aces, opponent hitting percentage and digs. UNA leads the league in opponent blocks (1.76 per set) and opponent service aces (1.15 per set), coming in second in opponent hitting percentage (.191 hitting percentage) and third in digs (16.34 per set).
LEADERBOARD LIONS: Four individual Lions are also ranked in the top 10 of the ASUN in respective categories. Ricketts is fifth in kills with 328 kills and a 3.69 kill/set average and sixth in points, averaging 4.02 a set. Ricketts also has the second-most kills among the top 10. Fellow freshman Audrey Small is fifth in the ASUN in digs, registering a 4.48 digs/set average with her 399 digs third among the top 10. Sophomore Olivia Fenoff ranks fourth in the ASUN with 38 aces and a .43 ace per set average – totaling the second most in the conference. Senior Elif Ozsoy rounds out the leaderboard Lions, securing an eighth ranking with 686 assists and a 7.98 set average.
AMONG THE BEST: North Alabama's backline defense has been among the best in the country, with the Lions ranking among the top 20 in the NCAA in digs. As of Oct. 29, the Lions are 16th in the nation in digs, with 1,454 on the season. Two individual Lions also rank among the national leaders, with Small ranking 25th in total digs and Fenoff ranking 26th in total service aces.
MILESTONE WATCH: North Alabama has several players that have either surpassed career marks or approaching them this season. Ozsoy surpassed the 1,000-assist mark against UT Martin on Sept. 6, with the senior getting her 1,500th career assist against Stetson on Oct. 20. Brooks accumulated her 500th kill against West Georgia on Oct. 25, while Tietz and Sargent secured their 100th career block earlier this season against UT Martin and Stetson, respectively. Senior Katy Floyd earned her 100th career service ace against Bellarmine on Oct. 6. Tietz approaches the 500-kill career mark, totaling 487 kills, and Ozsoy is close to 500-career digs with 478 for her career. Brooks is also approaching 100 career blocks with 89 for her career.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: With six remaining matches on the season, the Lions are playing some of their best volleyball with eight wins in the previous 10 matches. UNA has led opponents in kills (543-538) and blocks (80-76.5), but the calling card has been from the service line. North Alabama has 78 in the 10-match span, compared to 51 by opponents. UNA also has 661 digs in the span, fueled by 104 digs against Queens last time out — a new Division I single-match school record and just 26 shy of the overall school record set in 1994.
SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS: The Sugar Bears enter the contest 12-9 on the season with a 9-1 record in the ASUN. Central Arkansas is second in the conference standings, sitting a half-game back of FGCU and one game up on Lipscomb. In the two home matches against Queens and West Georgia, Central Arkansas swept both contest on Oct. 25 & 27. The Sugar Bears lead the conference in kills (13.74 per set) and assists (12.75 per set), led by league-leader Caylan Koons (10.39 per set) and Laci Bohannan (4.28 points per set/3.84 kills per set). Central Arkansas is coached by John Newberry in his seventh season.
SERIES HISTORY: North Alabama leads the series against Central Arkansas with an 8-6 all-time record. The last meeting on Oct. 30, 2024 saw the Sugar Bears take a 3-0 victory over the Lions.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
