DELAND, Fla.  (April 23, 2024) – Postseason play begins for the University of North Alabama beach volleyball team this week, as the No. 4 Lions open the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament against No. 5 EKU on Wednesday, April 24 in DeLand, Fla.
 
The Lions head to the Sunshine State facing the Colonels for the third time this season. UNA will look to start strong with hopes of a deep run to their first postseason conference championship.
 
First serve is set for 11 a.m. ET and 10 a.m. CT for fans following along in the Shoals. The tournament will be hosted by Stetson with all matches played at the Cooper Beach Volleyball Courts.
 
North Alabama and EKU face off in the first round, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 25 to face either No. 1 North Florida or No. 8 Austin Peay. The semifinals begin on Friday, April 27 at 10 a.m. before ending with the championship dual on Saturday, April 27 at 1 p.m.
 
The match will be live streamed on ESPN+, with full results and a recap to be posted on RoarLions.com following the action. Fans can also follow along on the UNA Beach Volleyball social media pages.
 
MATCH 1
North Alabama vs. EKU
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
10 a.m.
Watch | Twitter
 
 
NOTES

SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama looks to begin the conference tournament with a third-straight win over EKU this season. In the regular season, UNA averaged a 3.3-point margin of victory in 20 wins this season while sweeping opponents in seven of the duals.
 
POSTSEASON PRESENCE: The 2024 season will be one to remember, as UNA's set a new single-season program record with seven postseason awards. Junior Ryenne Gepford and graduates Mackenzie Martin, Paula Klemperer and Taylor Seney were announced to the Academic All-ASUN team, with Martin and Klemperer earning their second career distinction. Seney and Klemperer were named first team All-ASUN by the conference, along with second-flight pair Katy Floyd and Selma Robinson. UNA Beach Volleyball Head Coach Kaleb VanDePerre was named the 2024 ASUN Coach of the Year, marking the first postseason Coach of the Year award for UNA since softball's Ashley Cozart won Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year in 2018.
 
MILESTONE WINS: Martin joined teammates Klemperer and Girod with milestone wins to add to their illustrious UNA careers. Martin won her 75th match in a 21-10, 21-17 win over Mercer's Lexi Polychrones and Reese Hood, joining Klemperer as one of two Lions to win 75 matches in program history. Girod earned her 50th career win on March 22 in a 21-11, 21-17 win over EKU's Sami Deidesheimer and Arilyn Lee, while Klemperer won her 75th match in a 21-19, 25-27, 15-11 triumph over Marketa Svozilova and Sloane Woolwine of FAU.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE: The top-flight pair of Klemperer and Seney continue to lead from the front, registering a 20-9 record through 29 games. The pair received the first two ASUN Pair of the Week honors of the season on Feb. 28 and March 6 – their second and third career honor.
 
TWO'S CREW: Floyd and Robinson have excelled in second-flight play, sporting an 24-6 record to lead the team in wins. The two were previously ranked in the AVCA/CollegeBeachVB.com pair rankings, ranking as high as first in the April 2 edition of the poll.
 
FLOYD'S FINE FORM: Floyd's individual performance was recognized on a national level April 2 when the junior ranked fifth in the AVCA/CollegeBeachVB.com player rankings.
 
DYNAMIC DUO(S): North Alabama has had three pairs ranked in the top five of the AVCA/CollegeBeachVB.com pair rankings this season. Floyd and Robinson spent time as the top-ranked pair from flight two, while Klemperer and Seney were ranked as high as third from flight one in the Feb. 27 poll. Girod and freshman Sarah Larkin Lewis were ranked fifth from flight five in the April 2 pair rankings.
 
A LONG TIME COMING: UNA finished the FSU Unconquered Invitational with a historic 4-1 win over No. 20 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – the first win over a ranked opponent in program history. The Lions were previously 0-14 against ranked opponents. As an athletic department, it marked the first win over a nationally ranked Division I team since women's basketball defeated ranked FGCU in 2020.

ALMOST THERE!: North Alabama received votes in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Coaches Poll for the first time ever this season. The Lions received two votes in the March 5 edition of the poll, with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9), Tulane (6), South Carolina (2) and Boise State (2) receiving votes along with UNA.

POWER FIVE, BEWARE: The 2024 season has provided program milestones after the Lions defeated their first two Power Five opponents. UNA's first Power Five win came at the Green Wave Invitational, defeating Oregon in a 5-0 sweep. The following weekend at the Tiger Beach Bash saw UNA sweep Nebraska for its second Power Five win.

SCOUTING EKU:  The Colonels face the Lions after a 16-12 regular season with a 4-3 conference record. EKU's last outing came at the Chattanooga Clash on April 17, where the Colonels beat Chattanooga, 3-2, before falling to North Alabama, 5-0.  The Colonels earned a postseason honor in Riley Cutler, who received an All-Freshman team selection from the ASUN league office earlier today. Top-flight pair Sarah Mitchell and Paityn Walker lead the team with 15 wins – all coming from the top flight. EKU is led by head coach Jeff Patton.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE COLONELS: The Lions seek to stay perfect against EKU in the sixth all-time meeting but first overall in the postseason. Both matchups this season resulted in UNA wins with a combined score of 9-1.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.