FLORENCE, Ala. (September 27, 2025) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team hosted the fall season opener Saturday with the UNA Fall Invitational at the UNA Beach Volleyball Courts in Florence.
The Lions opened the fall campaign with intrasquad action and matchups against Tennessee Tech and UT Martin. The format featured three pools, each with five matches across three courts. Out of 15 total matches, UNA collected 11 victories.
In Pool A, UNA earned three wins. Senior Selma Robinson and freshman Karsyn Griffin paired for one victory, while graduate student Sarah Larkin Lewis and sophomore Bella Heyne added another. Graduate student Audrey Gauthier and freshman Emma White closed the pool with a win.
Four wins came from Pool B, highlighted by two victories from sophomore Mabrey Whitehead and freshman Kiana Adamson. Sophomores Paige Griner and Brooke Bolden won a match, and the final win came from juniors Lucy Wedding and Abby Robertson.
Sophomore Jennah Atchley and freshman Izzy Coplan had a strong performance from Pool C with three wins. Junior Hope Dicken and freshman Gaby Harnden also claimed a win to round out the day.
"I thought it was a pretty solid day overall," said UNA head coach Kaleb VanDePerre. "From a development standpoint, I thought we applied a lot of what we've been working on in practice the past few weeks which is really important as we grow towards the team we want to become. I was really impressed with our new bodies, especially Kiana and Jennah, who I thought made some really high-level plays."
VanDePerre also had high praise for a number of his players.
"I was really pleased with the leadership of our captains Selma, Hope and Hailey, who served the team in many ways even though she didn't play. I also was really impressed with Mabrey, Brooke and Paige on how they grew in last year as freshman and started off sharp this year from a tactical and execution standpoint. We have lots of growth left to still to get where we need to be, but for our first event of the fall, I think there are a lot of positive takeaways and a strong plan forward for what we need to do better."
The fall season continues with Alumni Weekend on Oct. 18 at the UNA Beach Volleyball Courts.
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