FLORENCE, Ala. (October 2, 2026) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team is set for a home match on Saturday against the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears at CB&S Bank Arena.
This will be UNA's annual "Dig Pink" match and will begin at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
The match will be available for streaming on ESPN+. The TV talent is A.J. Good on play-by-play, Ande Jones as the analyst and Gyvan Hammons court side.
MATCH INFO
Central Arkansas vs. North Alabama
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026
CB&S Bank Arena | Florence, Ala.
1 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama defeated UAC opponent West Georgia in sweep fashion on Tuesday in Carrollton, Ga. The Lions had a season high .455 hitting percentage against the Wolves with 51 kills on a season-low six errors. Juniors Dylann Garner and Reese Ricketts led the offense, combing for 26 kills. Garner hit for .414 while Ricketts hit for .500, her season high. Junior Kinslee McGowan had 38 assists while senior Ava Martindale had 20 digs.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama enters the match with a 12-4 record and a 2-1 UAC record. In conference play, the Lions are hitting .278 and have 156 kills. Defensively, they have 202 digs and 17 blocks.
CAN YOU DIG IT?: North Alabama ranks seventh in the country with an average of 16.75 digs per set. The Lions' main libero is Martindale, who ranks 13th in the country with an average of 4.87 digs per set.
KILL LEADERS: The Lions have three players who have 100+ kills. Junior Reese Ricketts leads the way with 177 kills and ranks first in the UAC with 3.47 kills per set. Junior Dylann Garner has the second-most kills on the team with 152. She also ranks fourth in the UAC with 3.04 per set. Senior Phoebe Reyes Fortunato is right behind Garner with 143 kills and ranks ninth in the UAC with 2.80 kills per set.
SCOUTING THE SUGAR BEARS: Central Arkansas lost their first 11 matches after a tough non-conference schedule. They played four Power Four teams, including No. 23 Colorado, Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Iowa. Their first win came in their second conference match against Austin Peay, where they defeated the Governors in five sets. Central Arkansas was picked second in the UAC preseason rankings.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST CENTRAL ARKANSAS: The Lions and Sugar Bears have a pretty even series history, but the Lions lead 9-8. The two teams were previously in the ASUN together before joining the UAC this season. The last meeting was last season, where UCA won 3-1, which they did twice in 2025. The first meeting dates back to 1993.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
