STARKVILLE, Miss. (August 29, 2025) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team readies for its first regular-season action of the 2025 season, opening the campaign Saturday, August 30 at the Maroon & White Invitational in Starkville, Miss.

Hosted by Mississippi State, the Lions head west for the two-day invitational with UNA slated to take on the host Bulldogs along with Grambling State and Southeast Missouri. The Lions open on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Grambling State at 11 a.m., followed by SEMO later in the day at 3 p.m. North Alabama concludes the weekend with the marquee matchup against Mississippi State on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 2 p.m.

The invitational will be played at the Newell-Grissom Building on the campus of Mississippi State and is free of charge to all spectators.

Following the Maroon & White Invite, North Alabama continues on with its fourth match in as many days at Alabama A&M. The midweek match will be played in T.M. Elmore Gym and is set for first serve at 6 p.m.

For the Maroon & White Invite, only UNA's match against Mississippi State will be streamed on SEC Network+. Live stats will be provided for all three matches through StatBroadcast.

Against Alabama A&M, live stats will be available and provided through SIDEARM.

Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action each day, but fans can also follow along in real time on the UNA Volleyball social media pages.


MATCH 1
North Alabama vs. Grambling State
Saturday, August 30, 2025
11 a.m.
Live Stats | Twitter

MATCH 2
North Alabama vs. Southeast Missouri
Saturday, August 30, 2025
3 p.m.
Live Stats | Twitter

MATCH 3
North Alabama at Mississippi State
Sunday, August 31, 2025
2 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Twitter

MATCH 4
North Alabama at Alabama A&M
Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025
6 p.m.
Live Stats | Twitter


NOTES

SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama enters the new year after a 15-15 overall record and 9-7 ASUN record in 2024. UNA capped the season with their second-straight ASUN Tournament appearance. The Lions return eight players from the 2024 roster which includes four that saw action in at least 29 matches last season. Sophomore Reese Ricketts looks to build on a freshman season that saw her take home ASUN Freshman of the Year honors with a Third Team All-ASUN and All-Freshman Team selection. Sophomore Kinslee McGowan also comes off a solid rookie campaign which saw her finish with 400 assists in 2024. Junior Nicole Sargent anchors the net defense after accumulating 92 blocks last season, and junior Olivia Fenoff returns as the Lions' ace from the service line with 38 in 2024. Senior Hayley Martin rounds out the top returners from the previous season, finishing fourth on the team with 81 kills last season despite being limited to just 12 matches.

SCOUTING GRAMBLING STATE: Grambling State went 10-19 in 2024, finishing with a 6-10 record in the Southwestern Athletic Conference play and SWAC Tournament First-Round appearance. In the 2025 SWAC Predicted Order of Finish, Grambling State was picked to finish seventh out of 12 teams. The Lady Tigers return five players from 2024, with Ra'Niya Brown the top returning points and kills leader (180 points/112 kills). Brown also returns as the top blocks leader (86) and service ace leader (25). The head coach for Grambling State is Paige Phillips.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE LADY TIGERS: The meeting marks the second all-time matchup in series history. North Alabama won the first meeting with a 3-1 victory in Florence on Sept. 2, 2022.

SCOUTING SEMO: Southeast Missouri enters the new year after a 19-14 overall record and 15-3 Ohio Valley Conference record in 2024. The Redhawks capped the season making the OVC Tournament Semifinal along with a National Invitational Volleyball Championship appearance. The OVC Preseason Poll resulted in SEMO being picked first in the poll. The Redhawks also landed two players on the Preseason All-OVC list (Lucy Arndt and Nina Schuberth) and one on the OVC Watch List (Alaina Lester). Arndt led the team in both kills (437) and service aces (40), while Schuberth finished with the team high in digs (563). Lester was the team leader in blocks with 136. SEMO is led by Head Coach Julie Yankus in her 15th year.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE REDHAWKS: North Alabama and Southeast Missouri meet for the sixth time in the series history. UNA looks to secure their first all-time win.

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE: Mississippi State went 11-14 in 2024, sporting a 5-11 record in SEC conference play. The Bulldogs return seven players from the 2024 season, with the top returning points leader coming in outside hitter Mele Corral-Blagojevich (53.5). Corral-Blagojevich also served as the team's service ace leader with 31. Additional returners from 2024 include digs leader McKenna Yates (295) and secondary assist leader Erin Kline (259). The head coach for the Bulldogs in her eighth season is Julie Darty Dennis.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE BULLDOGS: The meeting marks the fourth matchup between North Alabama and Mississippi State. The Bulldogs lead the series, 2-1, but the last meeting resulted in a 3-1 UNA home win on Sept. 23, 1986.

SCOUTING ALABAMA A&M: Alabama A&M finished the 2024 season going 8-20 overall with a 6-10 record in the SWAC. The Bulldogs return eight players from 2024 with all eight appearing in at least one match and six of the eight playing in at least 11 matches. The top returner for Alabama A&M is Fatima Ramirez, who led the Bulldogs with 356 points and 313 kills. Ramirez also finished second on the team in digs (231) and third in service aces (25). Saniya Spalding additionally returns as the team's blocks leader from the previous season (59 in 2024). Alabama A&M was picked to finish eighth in the SWAC Preseason Predicted Order of Finish with Ramirez selected to the SWAC Preseason First Team. The Bulldogs are led by second year head coach, Dr. Brandon Reeves.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE BULLDOGS: North Alabama leads Alabama A&M in the all-time series, 9-5. The Lions have won four of the last five meetings, with the previous four all coming since 2021. Last season's meeting resulted in a 3-0 victory for the Lions in CB&S Bank Arena on Sept. 3, 2024.

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