FLORENCE, Ala. (October 14, 2026) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team hosts two home matches this week, welcoming UT Arlington and Austin Peay to CB&S Bank Arena on Thursday and Friday night.
North Alabama has back-to-back matches for the first time in conference play this season, welcoming UT Arlington on Thursday and Austin Peay on Friday. Both matches will start at 6 p.m.
Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+. Thursday's match will have Grant Wakefield on play-by-play with Ande Jones as the analyst, while Friday's match will have "Voice of the Lions" Bejamin Ray on play-by-play with Ande Jones as the analyst. Gyvan Hammons will be courtside for both matches.
Due to football's home game on Saturday, parking for Friday's volleyball match will be available in the Gray Lot below CB&S Bank Arena (Lot O) and along Stewart Avenue until the match is concluded. All cars must be moved from this lot after the volleyball match to avoid being towed. Student parking is also available in the parking garage across from the arena. All other game day lots will need to be cleared by Friday at 5 p.m.
MATCH ONE
UT Arlington at North Alabama
Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026
6 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
MATCH TWO
Austin Peay at North Alabama
Friday, Oct. 16, 2026
6 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
NOTES:
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama enters the match with a 14-5 record and a 4-2 UAC record. The Lions are leading the UAC with a .250 hitting percentage. They also lead with 12.64 assists per set and 16.52 digs per set. Junior Reese Ricketts currently leads the UAC with 3.83 kills per set, while fellow junior Kinslee McGowan leads with 10.48 assists per set. Freshman Anna Hoffmayer ranks second in hitting percentage, hitting .353. The team currently ranks third in the UAC standings behind Eastern Kentucky and Central Arkansas.
LAST TIME OUT: In North Alabama's last match, it faced the preseason coaches' poll favorites, Eastern Kentucky, and lost in three sets. The first set ended 26-24, while both the second and third sets ended 25-19. Prior to this match, they defeated the Austin Peay Governors in five sets on the road.
1K REESE: Junior Reese Ricketts achieved a milestone in the match against Austin Peay on Oct. 8, reaching 1,000 career kills in just her third year at North Alabama. She did so by also setting a new season high with 24 kills in a five-set win over the Governors. She also hit an impressive .432 in the match with just five errors. She earned her seventh double-double of the season, recording 15 digs.
UAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Reese Ricketts earned UAC Player of the Week this Monday, marking her first of the year. Over the last week over Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky, the junior had 41 kills and averaged 5.13 kills per set. She also hit for .313, had 20 digs and four blocks. This was her third career conference player of the week award.
FOUR DEEP: North Alabama's Ricketts, Hoffmayer, Dylann Garner and Phoebe Reyes Fortunato all have at least 100 kills this season. Ricketts leads the way with 241, while Garner is second with 184. Reyes Fortunato 162 and Hoffmayer has 118. Two are in the UAC top ten of kills per set, as Ricketts leads with 3.83 and Garner ranks seventh with 2.97.
DIGGING DEEP: Senior Ava Martindale has led the team in digs for second season in a row, tallying 287 so far this season. Last season, she recorded 394. McGowan is second on the team in digs with 192, while Ricketts is third with 178.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS: UT Arlington enters the match with an 8-10 record and 2-4 UAC record. The Mavericks have defeated West Georgia and Little Rock, and they have lost to Tarleton State, Little Rock, Eastern Kentucky and Abilene Christian. The team hits .177 and has 807 kills so far this season.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST UT ARLINGTON: This will be the first all-time meeting between UNA and UT Arlington.
SCOUTING THE GOVERNORS: Austin Peay enters the match with a 10-9 record and a 2-4 UAC record. The Govs are currently on a two-match losing streak after dropping to Eastern Kentucky and North Alabama last week. The Govs also have a match on Thursday, Oct. 15, against Abilene Christian before coming to CB&S Bank Arena on Friday, Oct. 16.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST AUSTIN PEAY: North Alabama leads the series history 11-3, winning the last seven matches against the Govs. The last meeting was last week on Thursday, Oct. 8 where UNA won a thriller in Clarksville, Tenn. 3-2. The two first met in 1982, when the Lions won 2-0 twice that season.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
