In a battle of top 20 teams, it was the No. 15 University of North Alabama Lions who came away with the win, downing No. 8 Central Missouri State, 3-1, in the first day of the CMSU Challenge. The Jennies (5-4) fell 30-26, 30-21, 31-29, and 30-28.

Game one was hotly contested, as the score would indicate. The game saw eight ties and six lead changes before North Alabama pulled out the win.

Match two was all North Alabama. The Lions out-hit CMSU .385-to-.149. It wasn’t that close for much of the match, as North Alabama held as much as a 12-point lead until late in the match.

The Jennies rallied from a 17-10 deficit in game three to win 31-29, but could not pull off the win in game four.

Senior Becky Haug led the Jennies with 19.5 points on 16 kills and five total blocks (two solo, three assists). Brooke Butler added 16 points with 12 kills, two block solos, and two block assists, and Andrea Robertson added 13.5 points (10 kills, a block solo and three assists).

Kaki Young put up 44 assists to go with 11 digs and three service aces, and Katie Tara added 33 digs.