JACKSONVILLE (March 28, 2025) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team was defeated by the No. 14 Stetson Hatters and No. 16 North Florida Ospreys on day one of the ASUN Midseason Invitational on Friday.
The Lions had the challenge of facing the Hatters and Ospreys in Jacksonville, battling the Atlantic Sun Conference foes to open the weekend. North Alabama pushed Stetson in the opening matchup, but the Hatters were able to secure all five points from the contest. UNA took two points in the ensuing dual against the Ospreys, but North Florida held strong for the 3-2 victory.
Senior Katy Floyd and junior Selma Robinson secured a win from the top flight against North Florida, with the fifth-flight duo of graduate Kaitlyn Holbrook and junior Hailey Benesz also victorious against the Ospreys. Floyd and Robinson's win secured their 13th of the season while Holbrook and Benesz registered win number 11 on the year.
North Alabama moves on to day two with the Lions now 9-9 on the season.
Match 1 — #14 Stetson 5, North Alabama 0
North Alabama fell in the opening matchups, but the Lions battled in every match in regulation. Courts 2-5 were all decided in three sets, and the top-flight match saw a combined 112 points scored between two sets.
Court two saw junior Ryenne Gepford and freshman Pien Grooters rebound from a dropped first set to take the second. The final frame was decided by two points, but the UNA duo fell to Marta Carro and Julia Radelczuk, 21-17, 19-21, 15-13. Holbrook and Benesz won their opening set from court five, but Stetson's Julia Czurylo and Madeline Camp saw the match out, 19-21, 21-17, 15-9.
The Hatters clinched from the top flight, with Katie Camp and Maria Ozaeta defeating Floyd and Robinson. A battle from the start, the Stetson duo narrowly took the opening frame with a 28-26 set score. The second set was more competitive than the first, but Camp and Ozaeta secured the third team point with a 30-28 win.
Stetson's third and fourth flights rounded out the dual with three-set victories.
1. Katie Camp/Marie Ozaeta (STET) def. Katy Floyd/Selma Robinson (UNA) 28-26, 30-28
2. Marta Carro/Julia Radelczuk (STET) def. Ryenne Gepford/Pien Grooters (UNA) 21-17, 19-21, 15-13
3. Young Coens/Caroline De Oliviera (STET) def. Paige Griner/Mabrey Whitehead (UNA) 21-11, 14-21, 15-10
4. Vanessa Hurnikova/Grace Goudy (STET) def. Sarah Larkin Lewis/Aurora Bibolotti (UNA) 16-21, 21-17, 15-12
5. Julia Czurylo/Madeline Camp (STET) def. Hailey Benesz/Kaitlyn Holbrook (UNA) 19-21, 21-17, 15-9
Extra: Hanna Gubik/Katelyn Carroll (STET) def. Lucy Wedding/Hope Dicken (UNA) 21-9, 21-18
Order of Finish: (2,5,1,4,3)
Match 2 — #16 North Florida 3, North Alabama 2
The Lions came just short of a victory against the Ospreys, narrowly falling to North Florida in the day's final dual.
The Ospreys opened with a fourth-flight win, but Holbrook and Benesz secured UNA's first win of the day in a 21-14, 21-19 victory over Eden Anderson and Sophia Notaro from court five. North Florida answered back with two wins from the flights two and three, securing three team points and the dual win.
The final match from court one was a victory for the Lions, however, who saw Floyd and Robinson round out the day's action with a 21-18, 23-21 triumph over Presley Murray and Mackenzie Murphy.
1. Katy Floyd/Selma Robinson (UNA) def. Presley Murray/Mackenzie Murphy (UNF) 21-18, 23-21
2. Mariana F Sanchez/Madison Espy (UNF) def. Ryenne Gepford/Pien Grooters (UNA) 21-15, 21-15
3. Cameron Humphries/Taylor Pierce (UNF) def. Paige Griner/Mabrey Whitehead (UNA) 21-12, 21-13
4. Andrea Da Silva/Hayden Wooldridge (UNF) def. Sarah Larkin Lewis/Aurora Bibolotti (UNA) 21-7, 21-15
5. Hailey Benesz/Kaitlyn Holbrook (UNA) def. Eden Anderson/Sophia Notaro (UNF) 21-14, 21-19
Extra: Emily Guenter/Anne Marie Hardouin (UNF) def. Lucy Wedding/Brooke Bolden (UNA) 21-18, 21-13
Order of Finish: (4,5,3,2,1)
COMING UP NEXT
North Alabama returns to the courts for day two of the invitational, taking on FGCU and Jacksonville at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
