BATON ROUGE, La. (February 27, 2026) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team defeated Southern Miss, 3-2, on Friday, Feb. 28 to open the weekend in Baton Rouge, La. at the Tiger Beach Challenge.
The Lions earned their fourth win of the season and extended its all-time record over Southern Miss to 3-0.
Four total pairs tallied wins across the three duals on the day. Senior Hailey Benesz and sophomore Jennah Atchley picked up the first UNA win against Tulane, and the second dual saw three pair wins in the victory over the Golden Eagles.
Top-flight pair Selma Robinson and Audrey Gauthier were victorious along with UNA's second flight, graduate Sarah Larkin Lewis and sophomore Paige Griner. Sophomore Brooke Bolden and freshman Gaby Harnden wrapped up the day's wins with a fifth-flight triumph over Southern Miss.
Match 1 — Tulane 4, North Alabama 1
North Alabama dropped its opening bout against the Green Wave, but senior Hailey Benesz and sophomore Jennah Atchley were able to claim a win from court three. They defeated Sam O'Connor and Amirah Ali in three sets, rallying back to win 19-21, 21-18, 15-11. Courts one, two and five were won in straight sets by Tulane, and court four saw a three-set battle go in favor of the Green Wave.
Court 1: Emma Morris/Katie Hansen (TUL) def. Selma Robinson/Audrey Gauthier (UNA), 21-19, 21-19
Court 2. Skylar Ensign/Molly Trodd (TUL) def. Paige Griner/Sarah Larkin Lewis (UNA), 21-11, 21-18
Court 3: Hailey Benesz/Jennah Atchley (UNA) def. Sam O'Connor/Amirah Ali (TUL), 19-21, 21-18, 15-11
Court 4: Gigi Gallegos/Avery Burks (TUL) def. Emma White/Mabrey Whitehead (UNA), 21-19, 19-21, 15-13
Court 5: Lauren Mann/Gabbi Kucinski (TUL) def. Brooke Bolden/Gaby Harnden (UNA), 21-15, 21-18
Match 2 — North Alabama 3, Southern Miss 2
The Lions registered its first win of the weekend with a 3-2 triumph over the Golden Eagles. Top-flight duo Robinson and Gauthier claimed their first win of the weekend in a 21-14, 21-17 win over Sadie McAda and Laurel Dennis. Second-flight duo Lewis and Griner also picked up a win, rallying back to beat Zuzanna Michalska and Abby Lewis, 19-21, 21-16, 15-13. The fifth flight picked up the crucial win in another UNA rally as Bolden and Harnden defeated Lillie Johnson and Y-Nhu Do, 19-21, 21-15, 16-14.
Court 1: Selma Robinson/Audrey Gauthier (UNA) def. Sadie McAda/Laurel Dennis (USM), 21-14, 21-17
Court 2. Sarah Larkin Lewis/Paige Griner (UNA) def. Zuzanna Michalska/Abby Lewis (USM), 19-21, 21-16, 15-13
Court 3: Kitija Martini/Jaden White (USM) def. Hailey Benesz/Jennah Atchley (UNA), 20-22, 21-14, 15-13
Court 4: Lustina Curcoz/Margo Grigoreva (USM) def. Emma White/Mabrey Whitehead (UNA), 21-16, 21-13
Court 5: Brooke Bolden/Gaby Harnden (UNA) def. Lillie Johnson/Y-Nhu Do (USM), 19-21, 21-15, 16-14
Match 3 — # 12 LSU 5, North Alabama 0
North Alabama concluded with a setback vs. the No. 12 Tigers. Courts one and four saw the Lions take a set, but LSU saw the matches through to secure the 5-0 victory.
Court 1: Julia Sprecher/Kenzey McGatlin (LSU) def. Selma Robinson/Audrey Gauthier (UNA) 21-19, 19-21, 15-6
Court 2: Tatum Finlason/ Skylar Martin (LSU) def. Paige Griner/Sarah Larkin Lewis (UNA) 21-17, 21-13
Court 3: Aubrey O'Gorman/Camryn Chatellier (LSU) def. Lucy Wedding/Hailey Benesz (UNA) 21-9, 21-13
Court 4: Zayna Meyer/Bella Lagemann (LSU) def. Jennah Atchley/ Brooke Bolden (UNA) 18-21, 21-19, 15-11
Court 5: Kate Baker/Emily Hellmuth (LSU) def. Amelia Tomlinson/Karsyn Griffin (UNA) 21-11, 21-13
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions are set for day two of the Tiger Beach Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 28. UNA opens against Houston Christian at 9:15 a.m. before ending the weekend vs. Louisiana-Monroe at 1 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
