FLORENCE, Ala. (November 14, 2026) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team played its final regular season match of the 2026 season, falling short to the Little Rock Trojans in a five-set battle.
Despite the loss, North Alabama will remain the two-seed in the United Athletic Conference Championship and earn a first-round bye. The two-seed came down to a tiebreaker between UNA and Abilene Christian, with the Lions earning the edge based on their set record against one-seed Eastern Kentucky. UNA took two sets from EKU this season, while ACU took zero. The tournament will last from Nov. 19-21, with the Lions playing the winner of Abilene Christian and UT Arlington on Nov. 20.
The Lions were led offensively by junior Reese Ricketts, who recorded 22 kills. She also had a season high of 20 digs to record her 12th double-double of the season. Following her 415th kill of the season, she also broke North Alabama's Division I single-season record for kills, breaking teammate Kendall Barnes' record that was set in the 2025 season. Ricketts had a season high of five blocks, as well.
Freshman Anna Hoffmayer added 12 kills, as well as three blocks. Junior Dylann Garner had five blocks. Junior Kinslee McGowan reached 42 assists, also recording her 16th double-double of the season with 13 digs.
In the dig column, five Lions had double-digits. Senior Ava Martindale led the charge with 27 digs, while sophomore Ally Greenwell had 14, and freshman Kaylee Maikranz had 12.
The Lions totaled 66 kills, 57 assists, five service aces, 113 digs and 11 total team blocks.
Prior to the match, UNA honored four seniors – Olivia Fenoff, Amelia Keating, Reese Ricketts and Ava Martindale.
SET ONE: UNA 26, UALR 24
North Alabama opened the match with a hard-fought first set, rallying from an early deficit to win the opening frame. Little Rock had an early 11-4 lead, but the Lions went on a 9-2 run to tie it at 13-13. The Trojans gained another lead at 19-15 and held onto it until UNA tied it back up at 24-24. The Lions closed the set with three straight kills, two from Ricketts and one from freshman Kendall Buckley, to win the first set 26-24.
SET TWO: UALR 25, UNA 13
Little Rock responded in the second set, opening with another early lead, 11-3. The Trojans maintained ground for the entire set, reaching a 22-9 lead. They closed the set, 25-13.
SET THREE: UALR 25, UNA 22
The third set featured a back-and-forth battle, with neither team reaching a lead larger than three. A service ace gave the Trojans the first three-point lead, but back-to-back kills for the Lions put them just one behind. This was followed by an attack error by the Trojans to tie the score at 13-13. The Trojans then held onto the lead until another tie at 18-18. The Lions had late kills to stay close, but the Trojans won the third set following a 3-1 run.
SET FOUR: UNA 25, UALR 22
North Alabama came out firing early in the fourth set, gaining a 4-0 lead. Early scoring went back-and-forth, but UNA went into the media timeout with a 15-12 lead, eventually extending it to 17-12 after a service ace from Hoffmayer. UNA maintained the lead, reaching a 20-17 lead following a kill from Ricketts. Little Rock had a late 3-0 run to put the score at 24-22, but a kill from McGowan gave the Lions the fourth set and force a deciding fifth set.
SET FIVE: UALR 18, UNA 16
The final frame was another back-and-forth battle. The Lions earned a quick 4-1 lead, but the Trojans tied it up at 4-4. Three straight kills from UNA put them back up at 9-6 and again at 12-7. This led to the Lions reaching match point at 14-8. Little Rock answered with a 7-0 run to go up 15-14 and reach match point. UNA then had two straight kills from Ricketts to regain match point. Little Rock closed with three straight points to win the match, 3-2.
UP NEXT
North Alabama heads to Little Rock, Ark. for the UAC Championship. With a first-round bye, the Lions will play the winner of Abilene Christian and UT Arlington on Friday, Nov. 20.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
