FLORENCE, Ala. (September 11, 2024) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team returns home this week to host the UNA Invitational from Sept. 13-14, welcoming Arkansas State, UAB and Jacksonville State inside CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall.
The Lions are winners of two-straight after competing at the Skyhawk Invitational and will look to keep up the momentum as they host the four-team event. UNA opens with the weekend with a 10 a.m. matchup against Arkansas State. Following two matches in between, North Alabama plays UAB on Friday night at 6 p.m. before ending the invitational Saturday against Jacksonville State at 3 p.m.
Friday's opening match against Arkansas State will serve as "ESports Day", where members of the esports team will have a table with more information about the team set up in the lobby.
The evening match with UAB will serve as the second annual Eden Calhoun Memorial Match. By using the code "ecmm24", fans can purchase tickets with this link to support the Eden Calhoun Charitable Fund with a portion of proceeds going to the foundation.
Former UNA Volleyball player Lexie Bradley [Calhoun] is the President of the Eden Calhoun Charitable Fund. To read Eden's story and to learn more about the charity, visit www.ahandtoalwayshold.org.
General admission tickets are also available for each day of the invitational, available for purchase on RoarLions.com.
All matches involving UNA will be available for streaming on ESPN+, and live stats will be provided for all matches through StatBroadcast. Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can also follow along in real time on the UNA Volleyball social media pages.
Parking in the lot near the Hal Self Athletic Annex will be limited due to Bank Independent Stadium construction. Violators will be towed if parked in the construction zone. Fans are encouraged to park in the lots below the arena, along Circular Road and North Pine Street.
Limited handicap parking will also be available in front of the annex and the CB&S Bank Arena ticket office.
MATCH 1
North Alabama vs Arkansas State
Friday, Sept. 13, 2024
10:00 a.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Twitter
MATCH 2
North Alabama vs UAB
Friday, Sept. 13, 2024
6:00 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Twitter
MATCH 3
North Alabama vs Jacksonville State
Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024
3:00 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Twitter
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: The Lions went 2-1 in their last outing at the Skyhawk Invitational in Martin, Tenn. North Alabama went 2-1 on the weekend to improve to 3-4 overall and defeated hosts UT Martin and Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 3-0 sweeps. Following the tournament, senior Brenna Tietz and freshman Reese Ricketts received Skyhawk Invitational All-Tournament selections.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama has won the last three of four matches, all coming in straight sets. The offense led the way in that span, with the Lions totaling 174 kills while opponents had just 134. The offense also hit at a .229 percentage while the UNA defense limited opponents to .139.
RICKETTS RAISES THE BAR: Freshman Reese Ricketts was announced as the ASUN Volleyball Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week on Sept. 9, earning volleyball's first two weekly awards of the season. She became the third UNA player in program history to receive both honors but becomes the first to win both in the same week. In four matches, including one against Alabama A&M and at three at the Skyhawk Invitational, Ricketts accumulated 56.5 points and totals of 53 kills on a .254 hitting percentage, 36 digs, seven blocks and one assist. She was also named to the Skyhawk Invitational All-Tournament team.
A TEAM EFFORT: North Alabama is in the top three of four statistical categories as a team, ranking among the best ASUN teams in digs, opponent service aces, opponent blocks and kills. The Lions lead the conference in digs with 276 digs, averaging 17.25 digs per set. UNA is second in opponent service aces (0.96 per set) and opponent blocks (1.56 per set), as well as third in kills (12.84 per set).
LEADERBOARD LIONS: Four individual Lions have also made an early impact with top 10 rankings in respective categories. Freshman Audrey Small is second in the ASUN in digs, registering a 4.8 digs/set average. Her 120 digs lead the top 10, registering 28 more than Jacksonville's Ana Tobar. Ricketts is fourth in kills with a 3.64 kill/set average and ninth in points, averaging 3.82 a set. Sophomore Olivia Fenoff rounds out the leaderboard Lions with 10 service aces and a .40 ace/set average – good for ninth in the ASUN.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS STATE: The Red Wolves are 5-1 on the season and are coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Blue Raider Bash. Arkansas State dropped its first matchup to Lehigh but responded with two-straight wins over Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee. Kaitlin Whitlock leads the Red Wolves with 83 points, totaling 73 kills, 59 digs, nine blocks and five service aces. Arkansas State libero Sarah Martinez is the Sun Belt Conference's Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 5.82 digs per set and earning All-Tournament distinction at the Blue Raider Bash. The Red Wolves is coached by Brian Gerwig.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE RED WOLVES: Arkansas State holds a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series. The Lions took the Red Wolves to five sets in the last meeting in 2023, falling in the final set. The first matchup in the series took place in 2019.
JOHNSON HAS TIES: Prior to becoming the head coach at UNA, Tristan Johnson spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Arkansas State from 2014-16. Over this time, the Red Wolves turned in an impressive 74-20 record with a 46-6 record in conference matches. In 2015, Johnson also helped coach Arkansas State to its first NCAA Tournament since 1999.
SCOUTING UAB: The Blazers enter the weekend 3-2 on the season after going 2-1 at the Bellarmine Classic on Sept. 6-7. After dropping the opening match to the Knights, the Blazers won their next two against Cincinnati and IU Indy with 3-1 results. Jorda Crook has a team-high 78 points to go with 69 kills, 12 digs and eight blocks for the Blazers. Betsy Freeburg leads UAB in her fifth season.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE BLAZERS: North Alabama and UAB are meeting for the 11th time in volleyball, with UNA leading the series, 6-4. The Lions look to get back in the win column against the Blazers, dropping a four-set matchup in 2019. This will be only the second contest between the programs since 1983.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: In the first trip to Florence in three years, the Gamecocks return to the Shoals sporting a 6-1 overall record this season. Jacksonville State won its last match against Chattanooga on Sept. 10, defeating the Mocs in a road victory. The Gamecocks also went 2-1 at the Texas A&M-CC Tournament with victories against Texas Southern and ASUN foe North Florida. Jacksonville State is led by Kayla Williams with 125 points, also registering 38 digs, 16 service aces, four assists and four blocks. Derek Schroader is the head coach for the Gamecocks in his second season.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE GAMECOCKS: North Alabama and Jacksonville State resume the rivalry in what will be the 77th meeting all-time between the two programs. UNA holds a slight 39-37 advantage in the series, but the Gamecocks have won the previous six contests. The Lions look to end the streak for their first win over JSU since 1998.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
