Box Score
FLORENCE, Ala. – Eastern Kentucky University's volleyball team began its 2-match Atlantic Sun Conference road trip with a 3-1 loss at North Alabama on Friday.
The Lions won by scores of 30-28, 25-18, 16-25 and 25-16.
Sarah Mitchell had a team-high 12 kills and 19 digs for the Colonels (10-6, 1-2 ASUN).
AG Vandagriff added 11 kills and two blocks.
Carson Ledford finished with 10 kills, just one error, a .529 attack percentage and six blocks.
EKU took a 23-21 lead in the first set on a kill from Mitchell, but UNA came right back to score three straight. The Colonels had set-point at 27-26 but couldn't take the win. North Alabama broke a 28-28 tie on a kill from Jasmine Brooks and then took the opener after an EKU attack error.
The Colonels erased an early 5-point deficit in the second set, tying it at 10-10, 13-13 and 14-14. After a kill by Ledford knotted it for the final time, North Alabama scored five straight and never looked back on its way to a 25-18 win.
EKU scored five of the first six points in the third set and never trailed. Back-to-back errors from UNA pushed the visitor's lead to five, 15-10.
Kambree Lucas made it a 6-point margin, 19-13, with a kill.
Paige Wagers ended the set, 25-16, with a kill.
The Colonels scored the first point in the fourth set and led 3-2 after another kill from Wagers. However the Lions scored the next six points, the final two coming on consecutive EKU attack errors to turn it into an 8-3 lead for the home squad. A run of six straight by North Alabama extended a 3-point advantage to nine, 15-6. UNA finished off the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth.
Brooks led all players with 18 kills. She made just six errors in 40 attempts and finished with a .300 hitting percentage.
As a team, EKU finished with 24 errors, two more than the Lions. North Alabama (8-8, 2-1 ASUN) hit .226 while limiting their opponent to a .180 attack percentage. Both teams finished with 10 blocks, but the Colonels had 10 service errors compared to just six for UNA.
EKU will conclude its road trip at Central Arkansas on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The match will air live on ESPN+.
