FLORENCE, Ala. (July 9, 2026) – University of North Alabama head volleyball coach Tristan Johnson announced the 2026 volleyball schedule on Thursday, as the Lions enter their ninth Division I season, the fifth since becoming a full-fledged member in 2022 and the first as a member of the United Athletic Conference.
The Lions will play 30 regular season games, including 12 home games inside CB&S Bank Arena. UNA will also host two exhibition games in August against Arkansas State and Belmont. The regular season opener is set for Friday, August 28 in Troy against Alabama State, while the home opener is set for Wednesday, Sept. 2 against Alabama A&M.
UNA will host the second annual Noona Kennard Invitational from Sept. 4-5, welcoming Jackson State, Chattanooga and UT Martin for three home games. The tournament is named in honor of Noona Kennard, a legendary Alabama high school coach and trailblazer in women's sports. She spent 37 years in education, helping introduce volleyball and other sports to women in the state.
This is the fifth-consecutive season UNA has hosted a non-conference invitational and the second as the Noona Kennard Invitational.
Other road matches include the Troy Tournament to open the season on August 28-30 in Troy, Ala. against Alabama State, Troy and Mercer, respectively. The Lions will also make trips to Nashville to play Tennessee State on Sept. 8, Birmingham to face Samford and Jacksonville State from Sept. 11-2 and Tallahassee for a Power Four matchup at Florida State on Sept. 14.
The non-conference slate will end with a trip out east to battle Liberty in back-to-back days on Sept. 17-18 and a match at High Point down in North Carolina on Sept. 19.
UNA begins conference play on Thursday, Sept. 24 against Abilene Christian at home. The Lions will have 16 conference matches with eight at home and eight on the road. With nine members in the UAC, every matchup will include a road and home match.
The first-ever United Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship will take place in Little Rock, Ark. at the Jack Stephens Center on Nov. 19-21. The top six teams in the conference will make the postseason tournament.
The UAC includes former Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) members Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama and West Georgia, as well as former Western Athletic Conference (WAC) members Abilene Christian, UT Arlington and Tarleton State. The ninth member is Little Rock, who joins from the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
"We are so excited to release our schedule for the 2026 season," said Johnson, who enters his fifth season in 2026. "With the momentum and growth in our program over the last four seasons, I can't wait to compete in this competitive non-conference and conference slate. The first season in the United Athletic Conference will be very competitive, and we are eager to get the season started. We will also be hosting our second annual Noona Kennard Invitational here at CB&S Bank Arena. We hope that all of the fans in the Shoals community will come out and support our program this fall."
Johnson's squad finished with 14 wins last season and went an even 8-8 in the conference. This included wins over regular season champion FGCU and ASUN contender Lipscomb, among others.
Eleven players return from last season, including three all-conference selections in senior outside hitter
Kendall Barnes, junior outside hitter
Reese Ricketts and junior setter
Kinslee McGowan. The Lions also welcome five newcomers this season, including four freshmen and one transfer —
Phoebe Reyes from the University of South Carolina. The full roster will be posted on RoarLions.com in the coming days.
All times and dates are subject to change. For the latest information, visit RoarLions.com.
Schedule
Saturday, Aug. 18 Arkansas State (Ex.) Florence, Ala. 5:00pm
Saturday, Aug. 22 Belmont (Ex.) Florence, Ala. 3:00pm
Friday, Aug. 28 Alabama State Troy, Ala. 2:00pm
Saturday, Aug. 29 Troy Troy, Ala. 4:00pm
Sunday, Aug. 30 Mercer Troy, Ala. 11:00am
Wednesday, Sep. 2 Alabama A&M Florence, Ala. 6:00pm
Friday, Sep. 4 Jackson State Florence, Ala. 1:00pm
Friday, Sept. 4 Chattanooga Florence, Ala. 7:00pm
Saturday, Sept. 5 UT Martin Florence, Ala. 3:00pm
Tuesday, Sept. 8 Tennessee State Nashville, Tenn. TBD
Friday, Sept. 11 Samford Birmingham, Ala. 6:30pm
Saturday, Sept. 12 Jacksonville State Birmingham, Ala. 5:00pm
Monday, Sep. 14 Florida State Tallahassee, Ala. TBD
Thursday, Sep. 17 Liberty Lynchburg, Va. 6:00pm
Friday, Sep. 18 Liberty Lynchburg, Va. 5:00pm
Saturday, Sep. 19 High Point High Point, N.C. 4:00pm
Thursday, Sep. 24 Abilene Christian Florence, Ala. 6:00pm
Saturday, Sep. 26 Tarleton State Stephenville, Texas 1:00pm
Tuesday, Sep. 29 West Georgia Carrollton, Ga. 6:00pm
Saturday, Oct. 3 Central Arkansas Florence, Ala. 1:00pm
Thursday, Oct. 8 Austin Peay Clarksville, Tenn. 6:00pm
Saturday, Oct. 10 Eastern Kentucky Richmond, Ky. 10:00am
Thursday, Oct. 15 UT Arlington Florence, Ala. 6:00pm
Friday, Oct. 16 Austin Peay Florence, Ala. 6:00pm
Thursday, Oct. 22 Abilene Christian Abilene, Texas 6:00pm
Saturday, Oct. 24 UT Arlington Arlington, Texas 1:00pm
Thursday, Oct. 29 Tarleton State Florence, Ala. 6:00pm
Saturday, Oct. 31 Eastern Kentucky Florence, Ala. 1:00pm
Thursday, Nov. 5 Little Rock Little Rock, Ark. 6:00pm
Friday, Nov. 6 Central Arkansas Conway, Ark. 6:00pm
Tuesday, Nov. 10 West Georgia Florence, Ala. 6:00pm
Saturday, Nov. 14 Little Rock Florence, Ala. 1:00pm
November 19-21 UAC Championship Little Rock, Ark. TBD
*Home
*Away
All times are CST
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
