CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (October 8, 2026) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team went on the road and battled the entire night to win a five-set thriller against Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn. at the Winfield Dunn Center.
North Alabama (14-4, 4-1 UAC) dropped the first and third set but won the second and final two sets to secure their third straight conference win. The first three sets were decided by three points or less, while UNA dominated the fourth set 25-15.
Austin Peay (10-9, 2-4 UAC) led 13-11 in the final set and was one point away from forcing a match point, but UNA scored five of the next six points to complete the comeback and win 16-14 in the final frame.
After recording her 23rd kill of the night late in the fifth set, junior Reese Ricketts reached a career milestone of 1,000 career kills in just her third season at North Alabama. Ricketts totaled 24 kills tonight to reach a new season high. Her previous season high was 23, which she set last match against Central Arkansas on Oct. 3. She was just one shy of her career high that she set last year against Stetson on Oct. 10.
In addition to her milestone, Ricketts and sophomore Jenna Kolosta combined for an emphatic final block to win the match.
Ricketts recorded 15 digs to record her seventh double-double of the season. The junior also saw her second-best hitting percentage of the season tonight, hitting for .432.
Another junior saw a double-double tonight, as Kinslee McGowan recorded 52 assists and a career-high 23 digs. Sophomore Ally Greenwell also helped defensively, recording 13 digs.
Freshman Anna Hoffmayer had a stellar night, as well, recording nine kills and hitting .444. She also led the team with five blocks.
Kolosta and junior Dylann Garner each recorded eight kills, while freshman Kendall Buckley recorded six, her season high.
As a team, the Lions had 63 kills, 59 assists, eight service aces, 75 digs and 10 blocks.
SET ONE: APSU 25, UNA 22
The first set saw five tie scores, but the Lions did not see the lead this set. UNA stayed within two early on until the final tie score of 9-9. After this, the Governors pulled away with a 4-0 run, but the Lions did not shy away. UNA fought back to get within two at 14-12, and again at 16-14, but the Governors maintained the lead. The Lions had a late rally to get within one at 22-21, but Austin Peay went on to win by three.
SET TWO: UNA 25, APSU 22
With opposite outcomes, the second set saw the same score as the first. Austin Peay began this set going up 10-2, marking the largest deficit the Lions had to face tonight. Austin Peay's early 7-0 run was finally ended by a kill from Garner, and it was an uphill battle for the Lions from there. UNA went on a 5-0 run, including back-to-back service aces from freshman Kaylee Maikranz, to cut the lead to 12-9. North Alabama stayed within five before it eventually tied it up at 21-21. This was followed by a kill from Ricketts to give the Lions a late lead. Austin Peay responded with a kill to tie it back up, but the Lions on a 3-0 run to win set two in comeback fashion. This set brought UNA's highest hitting percentage of the match at .343.
SET THREE: APSU 26, UNA 24
Scoring in the third set started back-and-forth, but the Lions pulled away with a 4-0 run to go up 8-4. UNA maintained the lead until 15-15 but still did not allow Austin Peay the lead just yet. The teams had four more tie scores, the last one being 24-24, before the Governors won in extended play 26-24.
SET FOUR: UNA 25, APSU 15
The fourth set was North Alabama's most dominant of the night. The Lions opened the set with an explosive 9-0 start, led by three kills from Kolosta. After this run, Austin Peay never got back within eight points of UNA. The Lions' largest lead of the night was by 13 points with a 23-10 score. Austin Peay had a late 5-0 run to get within eight, but North Alabama closed the set on two-straight points.
SET FIVE: UNA 16, APSU 14
Early scoring led to a 3-3 tie, followed by a 3-0 run from Austin Peay to put the Governors up 6-3. Ricketts ended the run with a kill, but Austin Peay extended the lead to four at 8-4. UNA stayed close while behind, eventually tying it back up at 10-10. A kill from Hoffmayer gave the Lions the lead but was answered by a 3-0 run by Austin Peay to go back up by two. A kill from Ricketts tied it back up at 13-13, followed by a service ace from junior Lankfurd Gurner to take the lead. Austin Peay tied it back up with the next point, but North Alabama responded with two straight points to win the match, including an electric match point block by Ricketts and Kolosta.
UP NEXT
North Alabama continues its road stint in Richmond, Ky. as the Lions will face the Eastern Kentucky Colonels Saturday, Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. CT at Baptist Health Arena.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
