BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (September 11, 2026) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team fought back from two sets down to remain undefeated and reverse sweep Samford by a 3-2 final at the Samford Invitational on Friday in Birmingham, Ala.
Samford (1-5) came out strong in the first two sets to put North Alabama (9-0) down for the first two sets, but the Lions put up a fight to win three straight sets and secure the win.
Late heroics from junior Reese Ricketts helped the Lions win their ninth match in a row. The outside hitter recorded a season high of 21 kills, 14 coming from the last three sets. She also recorded her second double-double of the year with 10 digs tonight.
Senior Phoebe Reyes Fortunato also had her season high with 16 kills, along with seven digs and a service ace.
The other double-double tonight comes from junior Kinslee McGowan, who recorded 38 assists and 12 digs. This marks her fourth double-double of the year. She also tied her career high of five kills tonight.
Sophomore Ally Greenwell and Senior Ava Martindale had a combined 40 digs, with Greenwell recording her career-high of 12 and Martindale with a season-high of 25.
SET 1: SAMFORD 25, UNA 17
The Lions opened this set with a 4-0 lead, but Samford responded with strong offense, recording 15 kills to UNA's nine. The Bulldogs also had five blocks this set, which was their most from all other sets. The match was tied at 10-10, but Samford went on a 15-7 run to win the first set 25-17. This ended a 24-set win streak for UNA, which was the longest in the NCAA. Nebraska is now the only school without a set loss this season.
SET 2: SAMFORD 25, UNA 23
This set marked the closest set of the night, with Samford winning by two. UNA held the lead in the beginning, going up 10-7 after a 4-0 run. UNA continued to hold the lead until Samford went on a 6-0 run to take the lead at 19-17. UNA tied it twice and took the lead once again, but Samford pushed through with a 4-0 run to secure their 2-0 start.
SET 3: UNA 25, SAMFORD 20
Samford took the first point of this set and tied it up at 2-2, but the Lions held the lead the rest of the set. This was North Alabama's most offensive set, recording 15 kills and two aces. Six kills came from Ricketts and four from Reyes Fortunato.
SET 4: UNA 25, SAMFORD 19
Once again after an early tie (4-4), the Lions held the lead the whole set with multiple 4-0 runs. UNA had 13 kills, five coming from Ricketts and three from freshman Anna Hoffmayer, who also had nine kills over the match.
SET 5: UNA 15, SAMFORD 10
The Lions entered their first set five of the season strong, not allowing Samford the lead the entire set. UNA opened the match with back-to-back kills from Ricketts and Reyes Fortunato, who had seven kills combined in the final set.
UP NEXT
North Alabama will look to carry their momentum into Saturday, facing Jacksonville State at 4 p.m. at the Pete Hanna Center.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
