FLORENCE, Ala. (September 22, 2026) – University of North Alabama Beach Volleyball head coach Mackenzie Velazco announced the program's fall schedule on Tuesday.
This marks North Alabama's fourth fall season since the program's birth in 2019, as the Lions are set for five events. The program will begin with two AVCA events before having two events in Florence, Ala. They will end the fall season with two more AVCA events.
Velazco enters her first season as North Alabama's beach volleyball head coach after spending the last two seasons as the assistant coach. Prior to coaching at UNA, she spent five seasons playing for the Lions and had an 81-50 career record, ranking second in program individual wins.
The Lions return 11 players from last season, one of which is Second Team All-ASUN selection Paige Griner, who finished last season with a 22-14 record. UNA also welcomes four newcomers, all of which are freshmen.
"I am eager and excited for this fall season," said Velazco. "Two qualifying tournaments is exactly the opportunity we were looking for coming off a successful spring season. While we are balancing some competitive play, a home showing and two opportunities to make it to another national event, this schedule is exactly what our team needs to move into the spring. We invite fans to support us at home Oct. 10 at the Cox Creek Sports Complex!"
The first event will take place in Atlanta and will be an AVCA pairs tournament. This will be a one-day event on Oct. 3.
The second event is the AVCA East Bid Qualifier and will take place in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. on Oct. 10-11, where two pairs from UNA will compete. This will take place at Riptide Beach Volleyball Club. The remainder of the team will compete in UNA's Fall Invitational in Florence, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 3 against UT Martin at the UNA Beach Volleyball Complex.
UNA's Alumni Weekend will take place on Saturday, Oct. 17 in Florence, Ala at the UNA Beach Volleyball Complex. The day will consist of a dual team format with alumni coming back for some fun and playing against current UNA players and other alumni.
Next, the Lions will compete in the AVCA Central Bid Qualifier in Huntsville, Ala on Oct. 24-25. The event will take place at John Hunt Park Sand Volleyball Complex.
To conclude the fall season, the Lions will compete in the AVCA Pairs National Championships in Huntsville, Ala. at the John Hunt Park Sand Volleyball Complex. Sixty-four pairs from across the country will qualify and compete in this event.
To view the full fall schedule, click here.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
