FLORENCE, Ala. (November 2, 2024) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team continues its stretch of home matches with a Sunday matchup against the North Florida Ospreys in CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall.

The Lions are set for their fourth-straight match in Florence, with UNA hosting the Ospreys in Atlantic Sun Conference action. With the postseason just around the corner, the Lions are rolling at the right time and hope to continue cementing a spot in the conference tournament less than a month away. UNA has won four straight and five of the last six, including a thrilling five-set win against Central Arkansas last time out.

First serve from CB&S Bank Arena is scheduled for 1 p.m. The match will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and live stats 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. North Florida

Sunday, November 3, 2024

1 p.m.

Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Twitter

NOTES

LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama played the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears to a five-set thriller last time out, rallying from two-sets down to win the match, 3-2. Thanks to a record night from Graduate Jasmine Brooks, the Lions defeated the Sugar Bears in CB&S Arena, evening the season series at one apiece.

BROOKS BREAKS THE RECORD (AGAIN!): Brooks had another career night in the Lions' battle against Central Arkansas, breaking the Division I program record for single-match kills. The outside hitter totaled 35 kills against the Sugar Bears, also hitting for a .457 hitting percentage. The total came one short of tying the all-time program record of 36 kills, set by Yana Ninova on Nov. 11, 2003. She is the first player to record 30 kills in a Division I match at UNA and is the first to reach that mark since Lexie Bradley in 2017 against UAH (34).

SMALL SHOWING UP BIG: Freshman Audrey Small was announced as the Atlantic Sun Conference Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week by the league office on Oct. 28, 2024. The season trend of strong freshman play continues, with Small earning her first career ASUN weekly honor. She became the second different North Alabama player to win a weekly honor this season, but Small earns the Lions' first defensive honor in two seasons.

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. As of Nov. 1, UNA leads the league in opponent blocks (1.73 per set) and opponent service aces (1.11 per set), coming in second in opponent hitting percentage (.190 hitting percentage) and third in digs (16.26 per set).

LEADERBOARD LIONS: Six individual Lions are also ranked in the top-10 of the ASUN in respective categories. As of Nov. 1, Ricketts is fifth in kills with 346 kills and a 3.68 kill/set average and fifth in points, averaging 4.07 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 4.56 digs/set average with her 429 digs second among the top 10. Sophomore Olivia Fenoff ranks fifth in the ASUN with 38 aces and a .41 ace per set average – totaling the third most in the conference. Senior Elif Ozsoy secured an eighth ranking with 686 assists and a 7.98 set average, and sophomore Nicole Sargent is 10th in blocks with 81 total and a .87 average per set. Graduate Jasmine Brooks makes her first appearance on the leaderboard at 10th in kills with 269 and a 3.28 per 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 Nov. 1, the Lions are 14th in the nation in digs, with 1,528 on the season, while 22nd in kills (1,179) and 31st in assists (1,074) Three individual Lions also rank among the national leaders, with Small ranking 15th in total digs and Fenoff ranking 28th in total service aces. Ricketts secures two rankings, being 25th in kills and 38th in points.

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 91 for her career.

SCOUTING THE LIONS: With five remaining matches on the season, the Lions have won eight of the previous 10 matches. UNA has led opponents in kills (548-538), but the calling card has been from the service line and net defense. North Alabama has 72 aces in the 10-match span, compared to just 47 by opponents. The Lions have also been a force at the net with 86 blocks to 71 from the opposition.

SCOUTING NORTH FLORIDA: The Ospreys enter the bout seventh in the ASUN standings, sporting a 9-16 overall record with a 5-6 conference record. North Florida will look to get back in the win column after dropping its last two contests at EKU in five sets and Jacksonville in four. For the Ospreys, Amy Burkhardt is sixth in the ASUN in kills (294 total; 3.50 per set) while Annie Antar is third is assists (915 assists; 9.34 per set). North Florida is led by Kristen Wright.

SERIES HISTORY: North Florida leads the series 6-1, but North Alabama looks to claim a second-straight win in the series. The Lions earned the first all-time win over UNF in a 3-1 victory on Oct. 20, 2023 at CB&S Bank Arena.