BATON ROUGE, La. (March 2, 2024) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team opened their second invitational of the season with their second Power Five victory in program history Saturday, earning a 5-0 win over Nebraska.

The Lions finished day one in Baton Rouge splitting their two contests, sweeping the Huskers before dropping a rematch with Tulane in the second outing of the day, 3-2.

North Alabama earned its second win over a Power Five opponent in as many weeks after defeating Oregon in a 5-0 sweep last weekend. Against Nebraska, the Lions needed three sets for three of the matches, but still pulled off the historic win. Tulane, a team receiving votes in the latest AVCA top 20 polls, edged UNA in the nightcap.

After two matches, the Lions number one pair, graduate Paula Klemperer and senior Taylor Seney, kept their win streak intact with two wins on the day. The pair of junior Katy Floyd and sophomore Selma Robinson also finished a perfect 2-0 from the two spot.

North Alabama heads into day two with a 4-2 overall record, while Nebraska moves to 6-3 and Tulane remains perfect at 8-0.

Match 1 — North Alabama 5, Nebraska 0

North Alabama had another strong start for the second straight weekend, sweeping Big 10 foe Nebraska for the first win over the Huskers in program history.

The Lions got two wins in straight sets over from the top flight and fourth flight with the other three courts coming down to the third set.

Klemperer and Seney — the reigning ASUN Pair of the Week — got the win from Flight No. 1 with a 21-14, 21-14 victory over Nebraska's Ally Baternhorst and Bergen Reilly. Junior Ryenne Gepford and senior Martha McLaurin followed suit with a 21-13, 21-18 win over Skyler Pierce and Merritt Beason from Flight No. 4.

Junior Katy Floyd and sophomore Selma Robinson won the second flight over Lexi Rodriguez and Lindsay Krause in a hard-fought, 26-28, 21-15, 15-8 triumph. From the third spot, graduate Mackenzie Martin and graduate Kaitlyn Holbrook fell in the second set, but were able to recover in the third set with a 21-12, 18-21, 15-10 victory over Harper Murray and Laney Choboy.

Rounding out UNA's win against the Huskers, senior Jelena Girod and sophomore Grace Austin used a third set to overtake Nebraska's Andi Jackson and Olivia Mauch, winning 21-18, 16-21, 15-9.

In extra matches, UNA sophomores Sarah Larkin Lewis and Abby Robertson grabbed a straight set, 21-16, 21-10 win over Nebraska's Kyla Kenney and Maisie Boesiger.
 

1. Klemperer/Seney (UNA) def. Batenhorst/Reilly (NEB) 21-14, 21-14
2. Floyd/Robinson (UNA) def. Rodriguez/Krause (NEB) 26-28, 21-15, 15-8
3. Holbrook/Martin (UNA) def. Murray/Choboy (NEB) 21-12, 18-21, 15-10
4. Gepford/McLaurin (UNA) def. Pierce/Beason (NEB) 21-13, 21-18
5. Austin/Girod (UNA) def. Jackson/Mauch (NEB) 21-18, 16-21, 15-9

6. Extra: Lewis/Robertson (UNA) def. Kenney/Boesiger (NEB) 21-16, 21-10

Match 2 — Tulane 3, North Alabama 2

In a rematch of last weekend's finale from the Green Wave Invitational, the Lions came up short against Tulane in the second match of the day.

Klemperer and Seney dropped the first set of their match against Tulane's Sara Hall and Molly Trodd, but were able to recover in sets two and three to take court one in three sets, 16-21, 22-20, 15-13. Floyd and Robinson were also able to replicate the same result as the previous week, defeating Savka Popovic and Trinity Jackson in straight sets, 21-14, 21-19.

Flight 3 was the second match to go to a third set, as UNA's Martin and Holbrook were able to force a third set after dropping the opener. UNA's number three pair would ultimately fall to Tulane's Laura Torruella and Tawny Ensign in the decider, 21-13, 19-21, 15-9. Flights 4 and 5 both went in favor of the Green Wave in straight sets, including two sets decided by slim margins.

COMING UP NEXT

Day two of the Tiger Beach Classic pits North Alabama against Houston Christian at 8 a.m. The second match will be UNA's first against a ranked opponent this season, taking on No. 7 LSU at 11 a.m.