CONWAY, Ark. (November 6, 2026) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team battled back after being down 2-1 to defeat Central Arkansas in a five-set road thriller Friday night at the Prince Center in Conway, Ark.
This win proved to be crucial, as North Alabama moved into sole possession of second place in the UAC standings. Entering the match, they were in a three-way tie with Central Arkansas and Abilene Christian. The Wildcats still have one more match to play this week.
Junior Reese Ricketts and sophomore Landri Ross led the offensive charge, with Ricketts reaching 24 kills and Ross setting a new career high of 56 assists. The 56 assists are just four shy of the Division I school record of 60 held by teammate Kinslee McGowan. Ricketts had all of the final three points in the last set to clinch the comeback win.
Senior Phoebe Reyes Fortunato added 10 kills and a .389 hitting percentage.
Ricketts and senior Ava Martindale each added 14 digs to lead the Lions. This also marked Ricketts' 10th double-double of the season. Freshman Anna Hoffmayer added nine kills, four blocks and two service aces.
As a team, the Lions compiled 67 kills, 62 assists, five service aces, 69 digs and nine team blocks.
SET ONE: UNA 25, UCA 23
The first set was close from start to finish, with eight tie scores and four lead changes. The Lions opened with an early 5-2 lead following a service ace from junior Lankford Gurner. They extended the lead to 7-3, but the Bears tied it up at 11-11. The Lions pulled away again at 15-12, and the Bears tied it up again at 16-16. Scoring continued to go back-and-forth, resulting in the first set's final tie score at 23-23, when UNA pulled away with a kill from junior Dylann Garner and an attack error from the Bears.
SET TWO: UCA 25, UNA 16
Central Arkansas controlled the second set, jumping to an early 10-5 lead. The Lions stayed within five at 15-10, but the Bears gained distance at 20-12. The Bears closed the second set on a 3-1 run to win, 25-16.
SET THREE: UCA 25, UNA 21
The Bears took an early lead in the third set as well, going up 10-5 again. Two kills from sophomore Paris McQuirter and one from Hoffmayer helped the Lions gain ground and cut the lead to just 18-16. The Bears went on a 3-0 run to create separation at 22-17, but the Lions would then close the deficit to just 23-21. The Bears responded with a 2-0 run to win the third set and lead the Lions, 2-1.
SET FOUR: UNA 25, UCA 23
The set was closer than the last two, with scoring starting back-and-forth all the way to an 11-11 tie. Both teams continued to trade points, resulting in another tie at 18-18. The Bears then gained a two-point lead following a kill to go up, 22-20. Reyes Fortunato responded with a kill to cut the lead to one, and Ricketts later earned a kill to tie it at 23-23. An attack error by Central Arkansas and a kill from Ricketts gave the Lions the fourth set win and forced a deciding fifth set.
SET FIVE: UNA 15, UCA 13
The score remained close throughout the fifth set, with both teams trading runs. The Bears earned themselves an early 5-3 lead and continued to 8-4. They held the lead up until a 9-9 tie, which started the back-and-forth battle, with four more ties in store. Ricketts came through when it mattered most, accounting for the final three points with two kills and a block solo to seal the win.
UP NEXT
The Lions will be back in Florence, Ala. inside CB&S Bank Arena next week for two final regular season matches. They will face West Georgia on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. and Little Rock on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
