RICHMOND, Ky. (October 9, 2026) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team continues its road stint in Richmond, Ky. with a match against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Baptist Health Arena.
North Alabama (14-4, 4-1 UAC) looks extend its conference win streak after winning the last three outings against West Georgia, Central Arkansas and Austin Peay.
The Lions aim to take down Eastern Kentucky (15-2, 5-0 UAC) in a showdown between the top two teams in the United Athletic Conference standings, as EKU is No. 1 with an unbeaten record and UNA is No. 2 with just one loss. The Colonels were also the preseason favorite in the coaches poll.
The match will not be streamed anywhere due to conflicting events at EKU, but fans can follow along with live stats through StatBroadcast. This matchup is free of charge to all spectators.
MATCH INFO
North Alabama at Eastern Kentucky
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026
10 a.m. CT
Live Stats
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama defeated Austin Peay on Thursday, Oct. 8 in a five-set thriller in Clarksville, Tenn. The Lions lost the first set to the Govs but turned around and won set two. Set three saw extended play and another Govs win but set four and five was for the Lions to take. In set four, UNA cruised to a 25-15 win and went on to win set five in more extended play 16-14. The Lions had 63 kills, 59 assists, eight service aces, 75 digs and 10 blocks.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama has won its last three UAC matches against West Georgia, Central Arkansas and Austin Peay. In these last three matches, UNA is hitting for .304 while limiting the three opponents to just .185. UNA finished those matches with 178 kills to average 14.83 kills per set.
1K REESE: In the match against Austin Peay last night, Reese Ricketts reached a career milestone of 1,000 career kills. She hit the 1,000 mark after tying her season high with 23 kills late in the fifth set, and she went on to record 24 to set a new season high. This was just one shy of her career high that she set last year against Stetson on Oct. 10 of 25. Ricketts currently leads the UAC in kills per set with 3.73. She also had the final block along with sophomore Jenna Kolosta to clinch the victory.
BETTER TOGETHER: Earlier this week, senior Ava Martindale and junior Kinslee McGowan earned their third UAC weekly awards in the same week. Martindale has earned three UAC Defensive Player of the Week awards, while McGowan has three UAC Setter of the Week awards. The duo earned their first weekly awards together on Aug. 31 for week one and proceeded to win the awards in back-to-back weeks. Now, they win their third week together on Oct. 5. Last week, Martindale totaled 46 digs and averaged 6.57 digs per set. She also recorded 26 digs against Central Arkansas on Oct. 3 to reach a new season high. Over the last week, McGowan had 93 assists and averaged 13.29 assists per set. She also reached a season high against Central Arkansas with 55 assists.
SEASON HIGHS: In the match against Austin Peay on Oct. 8, McGowan set a season and career high of 23 digs. This was the first match McGowan led the team in digs. Ricketts also set a season high after recording 24 kills in the same match. Freshman Kendall Buckley also saw a season high, recording six kills after entering the match with just five on the season.
BLOCK PARTY: Freshman Anna Hoffmayer continues to lead the team with 53 total blocks, while Kolosta has 37 to rank second on the team.
ACING IT: Freshman Kaylee Maikranz leads the team in service aces with 19 and led the team against Austin Peay with four. She also had back-to-back aces in the second set comeback win.
LIONS IN THE UAC: Ricketts and Garner rank in the kills per set category, with Ricketts ranking first with 3.73 and Garner ranking seventh with 2.97. Ricketts also leads the UAC with points per set, averaging 4.09. Hoffmayer ranks second in the UAC with a .351 hitting percentage. McGowan has been first in assists per set since week one with 10.44. Hoffmayer is 10th in blocks per set with 0.87, while Maikranz ranks seventh with 19 service aces. Ranking second in digs per set is Martindale with 4.70.
SCOUTING THE COLONELS: Eastern Kentucky enters the match after winning 10-straight, including a 5-0 conference start. The Colonels are now the last undefeated team remaining in UAC play. They are first in the conference standings and in conference play have 248 kills, 232 assists and a .282 hitting percentage.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST EKU: The Lions and Colonels were previously in the ASUN conference together before both joined the newly-formed UAC this summer. The Colonels lead the series history 6-3 and won both matches in the 2025 season. The last time UNA won against EKU was in 2024 in their first meeting of the season when the Lions won 3-1.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
