LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama volleyball squad dropped its fifth straight conference match as it lost 3-1 Tuesday night to North Alabama at Pruitt Hall. The Tigers fall to 6-12 (0-5 Gulf South Conference), while UNA improves to 11-4 (3-0 GSC).
Neither team was particularly sharp in the opening set as UNA registered a hitting percentage of .000 after collecting nine kills along with nine errors, while the Tigers hit at a -.132 clip. However, it was the hosts that were able to take the set winning by a 26-24 score as they overcame 10 errors in the frame.
Quickly responding, the Lions took the first seven points of the second set en route to a 25-14 victory. For the set, the visitors hit at a blistering .480 rate.
The third set was a closer affair and even was tied at 22-22, but UNA tallied three straight points to capture the frame, and North Alabama closed out the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth.
UNA's Sarah Roberts led all players in the contest as she recorded an impressive 20 kills while only committing six errors on 43 attempts for a .326 attack percentage, and she also helped out on four blocks. The Lions also featured the match's leader in assists in Hope Rayburn who collected 46 helpers. Lauren Greenhill led UNA and all players in the match with 26 digs.
The Tigers were led offensively by Katelyn Beardshear who compiled 11 kills in the contest, while Olivia Drew and Alexis McHale split the assists with 13 apiece. The pair of Drew and McHale also paced the squad in digs by turning in 12 each, while reigning GSC East Division Defensive Player of the Week Thais Hollerbach chipped in 11 on the night.
For the contest, the Lions outhit UWA by a .165 to .027 margin.
The Tigers will not return home for 20 days, and the squad's next contest will be on Monday, Oct. 11 at Arkansas at Monticello.
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