FLORENCE, Ala. (April 16, 2024) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team closed its regular season home finale with a 4-1 win over UT Martin Tuesday afternoon in Florence.
 
The Lions capped Senior Day in style, beating the Skyhawks for their 19th win of the season. North Alabama also earned their seventh all-time win over UT Martin, extending their series lead to 7-2 in the afternoon affair.
 
UNA ends the outing splitting their two contests, opening the day with a 3-2 loss to UAB in a rematch from the Blazer Beach Bash this past weekend. The Lions and Blazers came down to the last set of the final match, with UAB able to avenge their loss from two days prior.
 
The matches were streamed worldwide on ESPN+ with "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray and UNA indoor volleyball head coach Tristan Johnson on the call. This marked the first beach volleyball broadcast in program history.
 
Six different Lion pairings won on the day, led by two wins from third-flight pair Ryenne Gepford and Mackenzie Martin. Graduates Paula Klemperer and Taylor Seney capsulated their final home dual with a win against UT Martin, with sophomore Selma Robinson and junior Katy Floyd earning their 22nd win of the season against the Skyhawks.
 
Senior Martha McLaurin and sophomore Grace Austin earned their third win of the season facing UT Martin, and the extra match pair of sophomore Lucy Wedding and freshman Hope Dicken picked up a win in a three-set bout against the Skyhawks.
 
Senior Jelena Girod and sophomore Sarah Larkin Lewis rounds out the UNA wins with their opening bout win against UAB.
 
North Alabama ends the day at 19-10 overall and 4-3 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. UAB went 2-0 on the day to improve to 17-12, while UT Martin dropped to 11-15 after two losses.
 
 
MATCH 1: UAB 3, North Alabama 2
 
North Alabama dropped a tightly contested bout to UAB in the first action from the UNA Beach Volleyball Courts.
 
The Lions and the Blazers traded wins in the first four matches with UNA taking wins from courts three and five. UAB took flights one and four, setting up a deciding showdown from court two. The final match was played to three sets, with the Blazers' second flight able to overcome an opening set loss en route to their first win of the day.
 
Girod and Lewis began with an opening win, defeating Lauren Mohler and Addison Atkins from flight five. Austin and graduate Kaitlyn Holbrook dropped their match from flight four but played their opponents close in the first two sets. A 22-20 win for UNA gave way to a 21-19 second set for UAB, with the Blazers able to take the bout in the third, 15-9.
 
Martin and Gepford earned the Lions' second win, defeating Brooke Pertuit and Olivia Chychrun, 21-18, 21-14, for their 16th win of the season. The Blazers tied the match with a straight set win from flight one, with the final match coming down to Floyd and Robinson.
 
UNA's second flight got off to a quick start with a 21-11 first set, but UAB's Isabel Day and Jessica Ennis responded with a tight 27-25 win in set two. Floyd and Robinson fought in the final set, but the Blazers second flight took the match with a 15-9 third set victory.
 
In extras, McLaurin and Wedding played UAB's Lauren Cairo and Ashley Torsone to a 17-21, 21-19 draw
 

1. Copping/Haas (UAB) def. Klemperer/Seney (UNA) 21-19, 21-11
2. Day/Ennis (UAB) def. Floyd/Robinson (UNA) 11-21,27-25, 15-9
3. Martin/Gepford (UNA) def. Chychrun/Pertuit (UAB) 21-18, 21-14
4. Stant/Sharpe (UAB) def. Austin/Holbrook (UNA) 20-22, 21-19, 15-9
5. Girod/Lewis (UNA) def. Atkins/Mohler (UAB) 21-12, 21-19
6. McLaurin/Wedding (UNA) vs Cairo/Torsone (UAB) 17-21, 21-19, unfinished

 
 
MATCH 2: North Alabama 4, UT Martin 1
 
The Lions were back in the column in the second dual, capping Senior Day with a 4-1 win over the UT Martin Skyhawks. UNA won from the top four flights to take the win over UT Martin while earning the 19th win of the season.
 
Klemperer, Seney, Martin and McLaurin ended their final home matches in style with wins from the first, third and fifth flights. Floyd and Robinson were able to finish the day victorious, and Gepford and Austin added wins to their tally in the finale from Florence.
 
Court four was completed first, as Austin and McLaurin took a 21-14, 21-19 win over Haeleigh Paulino and Kristen Phillips. Lewis and Girod had a slow start from flight five, dropping their opening set from flight five, 21-16. The pair battled back in the second for a 21-15 win, but the Skyhawks' Kayla Carrell and Reagan McGee saw the match out with a 15-12 third set victory.
 
The top three flights all went in favor of the Lions in straight set victories. Klemperer and Seney avenged their loss against UAB with a strong 21-11, 21-11 victory over Jenna Vallée and Olivia O'Keefe from flight one. Floyd and Robinson earned their first win of the afternoon with a 21-15, 21-16 triumph over Sydney Eckhardt and Dyland Mott to clinch the dual for UNA.
 
In the final match, Gepford and Martin earned their second win of the day, securing a 21-15, 21-14 triumph over Addy Vaughn and Ryan Rednour from flight three.
 
Sophomore Lucy Wedding and freshman Hope Dicken played in the extra match and overcame a slow start to rally and beat the Skyhawks' Dylan Sulcer and Halle Everett. After a 21-17 setback in set one, the UNA pair fought back to take the second set, 21-16. Wedding and Dicken battled their opponents but were able to see the match out with a 15-9 third set win.
 

1. Klemperer/Seney (UNA) def. Vallee/O'Keefe (UTM) 21-11, 21-11
2. Floyd/Robinson (UNA) def. Eckhardt/Mott (UTM) 21-15, 21-16
3. Martin/Gepford (UNA) def. Vaughn/Rednour (UTM) 21-15, 21-14
4. Austin/M.McLaurin (UNA) def. Paulino/Phillips (UTM) 21-14, 21-19
5. Carrell/McGee (UTM) def. Girod/Lewis (UNA) 21-16, 15-21, 15-12

Extra: Wedding/Dicken (UNA) def. Sulcer/Everett (UTM) 17-21, 21-16, 15-9
 
COMING UP NEXT
 
In less than 24 hours, North Alabama concludes the regular season with two duals at the Chattanooga Clash on Wednesday, April 17 in Tennessee. The Lions have an Atlantic Sun Conference matchup with EKU before closing against hosts Chattanooga, scheduled for 2 and 4 p.m. first serves.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram