BATON ROUGE, La. (March 1, 2024) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team travels to Louisiana this weekend for the second time in two weeks, with the Lions set to compete in the Tiger Beach Classic from March 2-3.
Hosted by LSU, the Lions head to Baton Rouge to take on Nebraska, Tulane and Houston Christian before facing the No. 7 ranked Tigers to round out the classic.
North Alabama started strong with a 3-1 record at the Green Wave Invitational last time out. The Lions started the invitational strong on day one, defeating Southeastern Louisiana and New Orleans before getting their first win over a Power Five opponent against Oregon on day two.
Graduate Paula Klemperer and senior Taylor Seney won all four of their matches last week, extending a school-record 14 game win streak. The duo won Atlantic Sun Conference Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week on Wednesday after the unbeaten weekend in New Orleans.
UNA opens the Tiger Beach Classic against Nebraska on Saturday at 1 p.m. and face Tulane later at 6 p.m. UNA takes on Houston Christian in an early-morning match Sunday at 8 a.m. before ending the classic against No. 7 LSU at 11 a.m.
Fans can follow along with live stats, while full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action.
MATCH 1
North Alabama vs. Nebraska
Saturday, March 2, 2024
1 p.m.
MATCH 2
North Alabama vs. Tulane
Saturday, March 2, 2024
6 p.m.
MATCH 3
North Alabama vs. Houston Christian
Sunday, March 3, 2024
8 a.m.
MATCH 4
North Alabama at No. 7 LSU
Sunday, March 3, 2024
11 a.m.
NOTES
SPRING 2023 RECAP: The Lions had their highest win total in program history in 2023, finishing with 20 wins for a fourth-place showing in the ASUN standings. The Lions also had an appearance in the 2023 Atlantic Sun Conference Beach Volleyball Championship, where they finished with two wins at the tournament against Jacksonville and Austin Peay.
FALL 2023 RECAP: UNA comes into the season with added experience under its belt after taking part in the first fall season in program history in 2023. UNA played in two tournaments and one invitational, totaling 39 wins across four invitationals and tournaments. The Lions also earned two bids to the AVCA Collegiate Beach Championships, which saw Klemperer, Seney, Mackenzie Martin and Selma Robinson compete in the first appearance in program history. The four advanced to the championship bracket out of pool play in a field that included numerous Power Five programs, with Klemperer/Seney finishing 23rd and Martin/Robinson finishing 29th.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA enters the Tiger Beach Classic 3-1 on the season. Reigning ASUN Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week Klemperer and Seney have four wins from the top flight, while Robinson and junior Katy Floyd are also perfect with four wins from the second flight. Senior Jelena Girod and sophomore Grace Austin finished with three wins at the Green Wave Invitational, all from the fifth flight.
SCOUTING THE HUSKERS: Nebraska heads to Baton Rouge with a perfect 6-0 record to start the season. The last outing for the Huskers resulted in a 5-0 sweep of Southwest Baptist. Out of the six wins for the Huskers, five have resulted in 5-0 sweeps. The head coach for Nebraska is Jaylen Reyes. The Lions and Huskers will meet for the first time ever this weekend.
SCOUTING THE GREEN WAVE: Tulane stays in-state for their second outing after a 5-0 start at the Green Wave Invitational. Hosting the invitational, the Green Wave defeated Southeastern Louisiana, Oregon, Stephen F. Austin and Spring Hill College while also giving UNA their only defeat on the season. The pair of Amelia Mullen and McKenzie Cutler have four total wins from the fifth flight this season, while Laura Torruella, Samantha Green and Skylar Ensign have five wins.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE GREEN WAVE: The Lions are 0-3 in matchups against the Green Wave, with the last meeting resulting in a narrow 3-2 defeat last week in New Orleans. The first meeting between the two was played on Feb. 22, 2020.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Houston Christian looks to have a stronger showing at Tiger Beach Classic after a 1-3 start to the season. In the opener, HCU competed at the Third Coast College Classic in Houston, Texas and left with a victory against ASUN Conference member Central Arkansas. Despite the one win, the three losses were to ranked opposition, falling to No. 6 LSU, No. 15 Washington and No. 4 TCU. Eight different Huskies have a win on the season. The head coach for Houston Christian is Cameron Sitler.
SERIES HISTORY VS HOUSTON CHRISTIAN: North Alabama has only played the Huskies once before, coming at the Mardi Gras Invitational at Sugar Beach on March 17, 2023. The Lions had wins in the top flight and fourth flight, but Houston Christian got the win.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS: The No. 7 LSU Tigers host the Tiger Beach Classic after a 3-1 start to the season. Playing in the Third Coast College Classic on opening weekend, the Tigers defeated Central Arkansas and Houston Christian in 5-0 sweeps before getting their first ranked win over No. 15 Washington. Their only defeat came in a top-10 matchup against No. 4 TCU by a 3-2 final. The Tigers have four players with 4-0 records this season in Reilly Allred, Parker Bracken, Ella Larkin and Ellie Shank. Allred and Bracken's undefeated weekend at the opening invitational earned them LSU's first weekly honor, being named the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Pair of the Week on Feb. 28. The Tigers' head coach is Russell Brock.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS LSU: North Alabama and LSU will be playing for the third time in series history. The first two matchups went in favor of the Tigers, who defeated UNA twice in 2023.
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