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LIONS VOLLEYBALL HISTORY
The volleyball program at the University of North Alabama began in 1969 as a part of the Physical Education Department and was known as extramurals. In those early years the Lady Lion teams competed against all of the state schools as a member of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. UNA competed in the Northern District with Jacksonville State, Alabama A&M, Montevallo, Southern Benedictine and Stillman. In 1975, in the seventh year of volleyball competition at the school, UNA claimed the Alabama State C h a m p i o n s h i p . downing the University of Alabama 1-15, 15-12, 15-6 in the championship match for the title. The Lady Lions downed Troy State, Auburn and Montevallo in the preliminary matches before dumping Alabama. Don McBrayer, a physical
education instructor with the university then and now, served as the head coach for that first championship squad. Lillian Goodlow, a standout in basketball and volleyball at Bradshaw High School in Florence, became the first female athlete to be awarded an athletic scholarship to UNA in the summer of 1976. Another major step came in 1982, when the Gulf South Conference began awarding championships in women’s sports. The UNA volleyball team claimed the first official league title for women with a 3-0 sweep of Jacksonville State in the championship. The Lady Lions hosted the tournament and won all six of their matches en route to the championship. UNA added to that GSC tradition by winning six of the first seven GSC volleyball championships, claiming the crown in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988
as well. Three Lady Lion volleyball players, Julie Jones, Shea Lindley and Pasola Swoope, were members of four consecutive GSC championship teams each during their playing days at UNA. Also on the list of key builders of the UNA volleyball tradition is Ande Jones, who was a four-year letterman in the 1970’s, was an All-State member of the 1975 state championship team, then returned as a graduate coach in 1976 and as a full-time coach from 1979-94. In 1995, Matt Peck was hired as the Lions head coach, and in nine years he took the UNA program to the highest national level, with eight NCAA appearances, four trips to the Elite Eight, two Final Fours and the 2003 NCAA Division II National Championship. In 1996 Peck led the Lions to a 44-4 record that included the school's seventh
North Alabama First Championship Team 1975 AIAW State Champions Team Members: From left, Debbie Drake, Debbie Lee, Pattie Fitzhugh, Jan Lough, Becky Daniel, Beth Gregory, Jo Ann Parnell, Helen Lewis, Nancy Esslinger, Ande Jones, Sheliah Bankhead, Diane Lamar.
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NCAA ELITE EIGHT 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2003 • 2006 • NATIONAL CHAMPS 2003
