ATLANTA (April 2, 2026) – The University of North Alabama beach volleyball team will travel for its next outing at the GSU Diggin' Duals Invitational in Atlanta, Ga. hosted by Georgia State from April 3-4.
UNA preps for the road trip facing a solid slate in the sixth weekend of the season. The Lions face familiar foes in Georgia State and UAB, with North Alabama also set for the first meetings this season against South Florida and Mercer.
North Alabama begins against Georgia State on Friday, April 3 at 9:45 a.m. Day one concludes against UAB at 4 p.m. The Lions open day two against South Florida at 7 a.m. before ending against Mercer at 11:30 a.m.
Live stats will be provided for each dual courtesy of Georgia State. Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com at the conclusion of each day, but fans can also follow along on the UNA Beach Volleyball social media pages.
DUAL 1
North Alabama at Georgia State (RV)
Friday, April 3, 2026
9:45 a.m. CT
Live Stats | Twitter
DUAL 2
North Alabama vs. UAB (RV)
Friday, April 3, 2026
4 p.m. CT
Live Stats | Twitter
DUAL 3
North Alabama vs. South Florida
Saturday, April 4, 2026
7 a.m. CT
Live Stats | Twitter
DUAL 4
North Alabama vs. Mercer
Saturday, April 4, 2026
11:30 a.m. CT
Live Stats | Twitter
NOTES
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama is coming off a perfect 4-0 weekend, hosting the Shoals Beach Bash in Florence from March 27-28. The Lions rolled to four-straight 5-0 sweeps over Spring Hill, EKU, Tusculum and Austin Peay. It marked the first time in program history that UNA concluded a weekend invitational with four sweeps. North Alabama heads into the invitational winning seven of the last 10 duals while sweeping opponents in six of the last seven victories. Top-flight duo Audrey Gauthier and Selma Robinson are tied with the second flight's Sarah Larkin Lewis and Paige Griner for a team-leading 13 wins as a pair. Robinson individually has 15 wins to lead the team followed by 14 from Griner and Lewis. Five additional players have double-digit wins in Gauthier (13), sophomore Jennah Atchley (13), sophomore Brooke Bolden (12), senior Hailey Benesz (10) and junior Lucy Wedding (10).
SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE: The Sandy Panthers will host its second-straight invitational of the season sporting a 12-12 record. Georgia State held the Sun Belt Mid-Season at the GSU Beach Volleyball Complex last time out, and the Sandy Panthers claimed three wins over UNC-Wilmington, ULM and Charleston. Six players have 11 or more wins on the campaign, led by Savannah Ebarb and Bella Troncale with 13. Ella Mozeleski and Michaela Jefferson follow with 12 wins, and Kealy Dirner and Noalani Nuez have 11 on the season. Ebarb and Troncale lead from the top flight for the Sandy Panthers. Leading Georgia State is Beth Van Fleet.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE SANDY PANTHERS: The second meeting this season, North Alabama looks for its first-ever victory over Georgia State in the fourth series meeting.
SCOUTING UAB: The Blazers enters the weekend sporting a 16-9 record. UAB is in the midst of a six-dual winning streak, last time out going 4-0 at the Stampede Beach Opener from March 27-28. The Blazers defeated Stephen F. Austin, Sacremento State, UTEP and South Florida in the invite in Clearwater, Fla. UAB has the reigning Conference USA Pair of the Week in Olivia Chychrun and Ava Grace Knott. The pair lead the team with a 20-5 record, followed by top-flight duo Olivia Stant and Jasmine Haas. The head coach for the Blazers is Delaney Rose.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE BLAZERS: UAB holds an 8-2 advantage over the Lions in the 11th series matchup. The third meeting this season, both teams have claimed a dual with North Alabama earning a 3-2 win over the Blazers at the FSU Unconquered Invitational on Feb. 21.
SCOUTING SOUTH FLORIDA: The Bulls have a strong 15-5 record on the year. South Florida went 3-1 last time out hosting the Stampede Beach Opener from March 27-28. The Bulls were victorious over Sam Houston, UTEP and Sacremento State on the weekend. The outing resulted in South Florida moving to second in the Conference USA standings. A pair to watch for is Kate Stewart and Tereza Lajkebová, who enter the weekend on an 11-match win streak. Pri Piantadosi-Lima serves as the head coach.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE BULLS: This marks the second meeting in the all-time series. North Alabama secured a 5-0 sweep vs. South Florida in the initial meeting on March 1, 2025.
SCOUTING MERCER: The Beach Bears make the trip up to Atlanta with a 4-16 record. Mercer goes for its first wins since March 14 in which the Beach Bears defeated Huntingdon and Wesleyan in 5-0 sweeps at the Bear Beach Bash. Kristi Talocka leads the team with eight individual wins this season. She also leads the team in pair wins with six alongside Grace Rathburn. The Beach Bears are led by Josh Marsh.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS THE BEACH BEARS: North Alabama leads the all-time series over Mercer, 2-1. The last meeting resulted in a 3-2 UNA victory on April 13, 2024 at the Blazer Beach Bash.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
