STARKVILLE, Miss. (August 30, 2025) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team opened the 2025 season in style Saturday, earning wins against Grambling State and Southeast Missouri to open the Maroon & White Invite in Starkville.
The Lions had a perfect start to the new campaign, opening with a sweep of the Lady Tigers before battling the Redhawks to a four-set victory. UNA earned its second all-time win over Grambling State while beating SEMO for the first time in program history.
North Alabama used a balanced offensive attack against Grambling State while also flexing its prowess from the service line. 34 kills and a .305 hitting percentage provided a solid attack along with the eight service aces from the Lions. The Lions also were a force at the net with eight blocks.
The second match against SEMO provided a tougher test, but UNA prevailed on the strength of career performance from sophomore Dylann Garner. She exploded for 21 kills against the Redhawks with an additional 14 kills from junior Kendall Barnes helping secure the 2-0 season start for North Alabama.
Garner led all Lions with 28 kills across both matches, and sophomore Kinslee McGowan finished with a team-high 69 assists. Junior Olivia Fenoff provided five service aces to lead the day, in the process surpassing 50 career service aces.
Junior Ava Martindale tallied a team-high 39 digs with sophomore Amelia Keating leading with seven total blocks on the day.
MATCH 1: North Alabama 3, Grambling State 0
The Lions came out hot in the first match of the day by blanking the Lady Tigers to start the weekend. North Alabama's offensive efficiency set the tone for the match with a 65 percent hitting percentage, 13 kills and no attacking errors in the first set. UNA's service game also was clicking with four in the opening frame, with the Lions adding two blocks in the dominant 25-6 first set. North Alabama started with a 6-0 run to open the frame, highlighted by two aces from Fenoff and a kill each from sophomore Reese Ricketts and Garner. The Lions built a 10-1 lead, but UNA had a second 6-0 run to make the score 16-2 over halfway through. North Alabama saw the set out with the 19-point gap heading to the second frame.
North Alabama continued on in set two, jumping out to a 9-3 lead to start. A combination of kills from Keating, freshman Jenna Kolosta, Ricketts, and Garner helped build the lead, along with two combined blocks from Keating and Garner. The Lions separated themselves with an ensuing 8-0 run, making the UNA lead 17-3. Ricketts registered two service aces with kills from Kolosta, McGowan and Barnes contributing to the run. The Lady Tigers found momentum in the second frame, going on an 11-2 run to close the North Alabama lead to 19-14. UNA would answer back to quell the Grambling State comeback attempt, closing out the set with a 6-1 run. Fenoff's third service ace in the run helped secure the second set with a 25-15 win.
The third set proved the most competitive, highlighted by the back and forth affair to start the frame. Grambling State came out as the aggressors, scoring the first two points of the set before UNA answering back with three-straight points. The Lions were able to gain an 8-7 lead, but UNA went on a 4-0 run to provide a 12-7 cushion in the third frame. After two-straight Lady Tigers points, North Alabama capitalized on four Grambling State errors with a 5-0 run to make the UNA lead 17-9. The teams traded points to see the set out, but the Lions secured their 3-0 sweep with the 25-19 third-set victory.
MATCH 2: North Alabama 3, Southeast Missouri 1
North Alabama's momentum continued on into match two, this time facing the Southeast Missouri Redhawks in the day-one finale. The action started with an even affair until an 4-0 run gave North Alabama the early 10-5 lead. Kills by Ricketts and Kolosta, along with a block by both Kolosta and McGowan, provided breathing room for the Lions and gave UNA the advantage in set one. SEMO fought back to trim the lead and eventually tied the opening set at 17 halfway through to force a UNA timeout. The Lions outscored the Redhawks, 6-3, coming out the break, leading to UNA taking the 23-20 lead. An ensuing 4-1 SEMO run tied the set at 24, but a kill from Garner and solo block from Kolosta secured the first set for UNA, 26-24.
The Lions were able to gain the upper hand again after breaking the deadlock to start the second set. Tied at 7-7, Garner's two kills and Barnes single kill gave the Lions a 10-7 advantage. Similar to the first frame, SEMO kept the score close and tied the match at 17 points. North Alabama went on a 3-1 run to regain its cushion and force a Redhawks timeout. The Lions led 20-18, but SEMO answered with a 6-2 run to give them a 24-22 advantage. The Redhawks saw the set out with a 25-23 win.
SEMO had a strong start to the third frame, opening with a 5-0 run en route to a 6-2 lead. North Alabama worked its way back to tie the frame at 8-8 using their own 6-2 run. A kill each from Ricketts, Fenoff and Barnes powered the run, also taking advantage of Redhawk errors. After three points from UNA and two from SEMO, the teams remained even once again until the 17-17 mark. A 4-1 run gave the Lions a 21-18 lead, with two kills from Barnes and one from Garner leading to a Redhawks' timeout. The timeout led to an ensuing 3-0 run from SEMO to tie the set again at 21-21. North Alabama responded with a second 4-1 run and clinched the third set, 25-22.
The fourth set saw North Alabama take the early advantage, scoring four of the opening five points. Garner continued her excellent performance with a set-opening kill with junior Nicole Sargent and Ricketts contributing a kill each. UNA maintained its lead until a 5-2 SEMO run tied the set at 9-9. The Lions were able to take back the advantage with a responding 6-2 run to take a 15-11 lead and cause the Redhawks to call a timeout. UNA maintained its advantage late into the set with three kills from Barnes, giving UNA a 21-14 lead. The Lions held strong to see the frame out, winning the fourth set, 25-18.
UP NEXT
North Alabama concludes the season-opening weekend at the Maroon & White Invite against hosts Mississippi State on Sunday at 2 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
