DELAND, Fla. (April 26, 2024) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team's run in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament ended Friday afternoon with a 3-0 defeat to No. 3 seed FGCU in DeLand, Fla.
Starting the day in the elimination bracket, No. 4 seed North Alabama needed a strong start after suffering a loss to top-seed North Florida the previous day. The Lions got the start they were looking for, defeating No. 6 Jacksonville in a 3-1 victory Friday morning.
UNA awaited the winner of No. 3 FGCU and No. 8 Austin Peay in the following dual, with the Eagles securing a sweep of the Govs. In the first meeting between the two teams this season, FGCU and UNA battled for a spot in the final three.
FGCU came to play early, opening the afternoon dual with wins from courts four and five in two sets. North Alabama needed a response from the third flight, picking up a clutch win in the second set to force a third. The battle from court three was close, but FGCU held on to advance and face No. 2 Stetson for a spot in the championship dual.
Day three from DeLand saw three pairs add to their final season tallies. Graduate pair
Paula Klemperer and
Taylor Seney defeated Jacksonville's top flight to win their 22nd dual of the season. The pair concluded their college careers with 48 wins – the most in program history.
Graduate
Mackenzie Martin and junior
Ryenne Gepford got their second win of the tournament against the Dolphins, tallying their 20th win of the season. Senior
Jelena Girod and sophomore
Sarah Larkin Lewis rounded out the wins against Jacksonville, picking up their second win of the tournament and 17th of the season.
The loss brings the season to a close, but not after a sensational second year under UNA head coach Kaleb VanDePerre. North Alabama went 22-13 overall and 5-3 in the ASUN, finishing with the program record for wins in a single season.
The Lions defeated their first two Power Five opponents against Oregon and Nebraska while earning the first win over a ranked opponent against No. 20 Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. It was also a record year for postseason accolades with seven, highlighted by VanDePerre winning UNA's first Division I Coach of the Year honor.
MATCH 1: North Alabama 3, Jacksonville 1
The Dolphins gave the Lions a battle from first serve, but UNA took care of Jacksonville to move on in the elimination bracket.
Jacksonville started the dual with a win from court four, taking the contest in straight sets. North Alabama responded with a three-set win from the fifth flight, sparking the Lions with momentum.
Lewis and Girod narrowly dropped their opening set, 21-19, but the fifth-flight pair answered back with a second-set victory, 21-17. After an initial back-and-forth affair, Lewis and Girod took the third set, winning 15-11.
A second three-set contest ensued from flight three, but UNA's Martin and Gepford held strong to give the Lions the 2-1 lead. The pair started with a 21-15 opening set win but suffered a 21-17 setback in set two. Gepford and Martin came up with a clutch win in the final frame, seizing momentum with a 15-10 third-set victory.
Top flight pair Klemperer and Seney clinched the dual with a straight-sets victory. The pair played into extras in set one, victorious in a competitive 23-21 triumph. Seney and Klemperer came back for a stronger second frame, taking the matchup with a 21-15 win.
With the match in hand, Floyd and Robinson's second-flight match went unfinished, but the pair were victorious in the first set, 25-23.
- Paula Klemperer/Taylor Seney (UNA) def. Anna Erickson/Olivia Szyszkiewicz (JU) 23-21, 21-15
- Katy Floyd/Selma Robinson (UNA) vs Jenna McNamara/Emily Kubicsko (JU) 25-23, unfinished
- Mackenzie Martin/Ryenne Gepford (UNA) def. Claire Mrukowski/Meredith Mrukowski (JU) 21-15, 17-21, 15-10
- Kristina Nika/Katie Martinez (JU) def. Grace Austin/Martha McLaurin (UNA) 21-10, 21-18
- Jelena Girod/Sarah Larkin Lewis (UNA) def. Miller Reames/Hayden Garnett (JU) 19-21, 21-17, 15-11
Order of Finish: (4,5,3,1)
MATCH 2: FGCU 3, North Alabama 0
The Eagles advanced to the loser's bracket semifinal round after taking three-straight flight wins over UNA. FGCU started with two wins from the bottom two flights before playing the third flight to three sets.
North Alabama's Martin and Gepford took a second-set win from the third flight, forcing the third frame after falling in the opener. The set went back-and-forth, as both teams could not build a lead larger than two points, but the Eagles saw the win out to advance to the next round.
The top two flights did not finish their match due to the clinching point from court three. Floyd and Robinson won their first set 25-11 and were up 10-4 in the second frame.
- Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) vs. Paula Klemperer/Taylor Seney (UNA) 21-15, 2-2, unfinished
- Katy Floyd/Selma Robinson (UNA) vs Katie Johnson/Emma Soncrant (FGCU) 25-11, 10-4, unfinished
- Kaitlyn Luebbers/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) def. Mackenzie Martin/Ryenne Gepford (UNA) 21-15, 14-21, 15-13
- Jaci Carpenter/Mia Thompson (FGCU) def. Grace Austin/Martha McLaurin (UNA) 27-25, 21-12
- Skylar English/Sydney Majick (FGCU) def. Jelena Girod/Sarah Larkin Lewis (UNA) 21-14, 21-18
Order of Finish: (5,4,3)
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