Izzy Smith

The University of North Alabama’s beach volleyball team will begin the spring semester on Feb. 21 with an invitational hosted by Southern Miss. The Lady Lions will take on Florida State and Louisiana State. On Feb 22., they will play Florida Gulf Coast and finally Southern Miss. This invitational marks the first competitive game since the AVCA Pairs National Championship in Huntsville, Ala. where Selma Robinson and Ryenne Gepford placed 54th.

First ever head coach and 2023 ASUN Beach Volleyball Coach of the year Kaleb VanDePerre will continue to coach for the program. He describes how he and the team, considering the addition of recruits, prepared during the break to have a successful spring semester and how training should not only be approached physically.

He said, “We have been working really hard in the weight room and the sand to prepare for this upcoming season. We have many new faces in transfers and freshmen who will have an opportunity to make an impact. So growing closer as a group was a big point of emphasis in the Fall. As we have continued to grow and challenge ourselves physically, we have also been working our brains through drills, film study, and journalism”.

During their time in Mississippi, the Lady Lions will strive for victory to win in the ASUN conference game versus Florida Gulf Coast.

VanDePerre explained his goals for the upcoming invitational that will set the team up for a great season.

He said, “Our first 2 weekends of competition have us facing off against some of the top teams in the nation. We are expecting to get some great, competitive experience for our younger and new players, as well as test some of our veteran players to see where they match up after a few years with us in the program. I expect a lot of growing to come from such strong early season matchups and think it would be great to make some noise with an upset over a top 10 team”.

With heavy preparation and excitement to compete in the sand as the weather warms, the Lady Lions will fight to start the beach volleyball season on an impressive note in this coming invitational.