FLORENCE, Ala. (September 8, 2025) – After seven matches away from Florence to open the season, the University of North Alabama volleyball team faces the Samford Bulldogs on Tuesday, Sept. 9 in its home opener inside CB&S Bank Arena.
This will mark the first of three straight home matches for UNA.
First serve is set for 6 p.m. The match will be available for streaming on ESPN+, and live stats will be provided 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.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for the match, as parking is limited due to ongoing construction. As such, the lot near the Hal Self Athletic Annex will be unavailable. Violators will be towed if parked in the construction zone.
Fans are encouraged to park in Lot O below the arena, the Science Building lot or in the parking deck across from the arena. Limited handicap parking will be available in front of the CB&S Bank Arena ticket office.
The parking lot at College View Church of Christ is private property and is not permitted for use after 5 p.m.
MATCH INFO
North Alabama vs. Samford
Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025
6 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Twitter
NOTES
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama enters the contest with a 3-4 record in their first home match. The Lions are coming off an appearance at the Blazer Invitational at UAB, securing a 3-1 win against Tennessee Tech on Sept. 5. The win marked just the second victory against the Golden Eagles and first since 1983. UNA also faced USC Upstate and UAB but fell in four and five-set battles, respectively. Junior Kendall Barnes was the team leader in kills across the weekend with 49. Sophomore Reese Ricketts also provided 42 kills, with sophomore Kinslee McGowan leading the weekend with 129 assists. Junior Olivia Fenoff tallied the most digs and service aces with 38 digs and 10 aces. Freshman Jenna Kolosta rounded out the weekend's leader with 12 blocks.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Today, Kinslee McGowan and Jenna Kolosta were named the Atlantic Sun Conference Volleyball Setter of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively. The honors marked the first each of their careers, with McGowan's award marking the first in Division I program history. Kolosta's accolade continued a long line of ASUN weekly freshman awards for UNA with the 13th in program history.
DISHING DIMES: Kinslee McGowan has been the point guard for the UNA Volleyball offense, and her first season as the primary starting setter has started earning a career mark. McGowan tallied her 500th career assist against Alabama A&M on Sept. 2. McGowan has led in match assists in all but one contest (at Mississippi State) and is second in the Atlantic Sun Conference in assists per set (9.93). As of Sept. 7, her 268 assists rank first in the ASUN.
KENDALL ON THE ATTACK!: Kendall Barnes has been UNA's leader on the attack, leading the team with 97 kills. As of Sept. 7, she ranks second in the ASUN in kills per set (3.59), and her 97 kills are the most among the top 10. Barnes has 102 points on the season, with the junior fourth in the ASUN in points per set (3.78).
ACING THE COMPETITION: Service-ace extraordinaire Olivia Fenoff has provided added offense, totaling 15 on the season. As of Sept. 7, her 15 aces and 0.56 ace per set average rank first in the conference. She also set a career mark with her 50th service ace against Grambling State on August 30.
GET YOUR SHOVELS!: Ava Martindale has gotten off to a solid start in her first season at North Alabama. As of Sept. 7, she ranks fifth in the ASUN in digs per set at 3.67. Her 99 total digs is tied for second in the conference.
AMONG THE RANKS: Outside of conference ranks, UNA Volleyball is ranked nationally in individual statistics as of September 7. Kinslee McGowan is second in the NCAA in total assists while 40th in assists per set. Kendall Barnes is 17th in total kills, and Olivia Fenoff also is 17th nationally in total service aces. Barnes, additionally, is 44th in the country in total points. Ava Martindale rounds out the leaders just outside the top 50, placing 54th in total digs.
MAKING THEIR MARK: The new faces for UNA Volleyball have been impactful early on the season. Martindale set a career high with 28 digs against Southeast Missouri, with Kendall Barnes tallying a career-high 21 kills against Alabama A&M. Jenna Kolosta has also had a solid start at middle blocker with a season stat line of 45 kills, 17 blocks and 12 digs. Junior Jessi Ritchhart has also contributed in limited action with a Division I career-high 12 digs against SEMO.
SCOUTING SAMFORD: Samford enters the matchup 2-2 on the season. The Bulldogs' last action came at the Tennessee Invitational. Samford split their two matches, opening with a 3-2 victory over Winthrop. The Bulldogs fell to Tennessee, 3-0, in the weekend finale. Samford was picked to finish second in the SoCon Preseason Coaches Poll, and they had a preseason all-conference team selection in Kaleigh Meritt. Meritt leads the team currently with 75.5 points and 69 kills. The head coach for Samford is Keylor Chan.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE BULLDOGS: The meeting marks the eighth all-time matchup in series history. Samford holds a 4-3 advantage over the Lions, with the last meeting resulting in a 3-1 win for the Bulldogs on Sept. 3, 2023. UNA last defeated Samford in a 2-0 victory to begin the 1997 season.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
