BEAUMONT, Texas – Fresh off their season-opening home tournament that saw Lamar University host four other teams, the Cardinals now hit the road for their first away matches of the season. The Cardinals will be in Florence, Ala., Friday and Saturday to compete in the UNA Volleyball Classic hosted by North Alabama.
 
The UNA Volleyball Classic is a four-team tournament that feature host North Alabama, LU, New Orleans and Grambling State. The Cardinals will play two matches Friday and close out the tournament with one Saturday.
 
Big Red enters the tournament with an 0-2 record which is not indicative of how well the Cardinals played in their season opener, especially on the final day of the tournament. LU hosted one of the top teams from the AAC in the final match – Tulane – and led 2-1 heading into the fourth set. The match eventually went to a fifth set before the Green Wave escaped with a narrow victory.
 
The Cardinals open the tournament up Friday against Southland Conference foe New Orleans, although the match will serve as a non-conference contest. The Privateers are looking to bounce back from a tough 2021 season. Last year UNO managed just one win ending the year with a 1-22 (.043) record. The Privateers enter their second pre-conference tournament of the season having already surpassed their win total from last season with wins over George Washington and Georgetown, and their only loss of the year coming against George Mason. The match against UNO is slated to begin at 10 a.m. from Flowers Hall (the host site of all the matches in the tournament).
 
After the first match of the day, the Cardinals will get the rest of the day to rest before facing tourney-host North Alabama, a match which is set for a 7 p.m. start. Representing the Atlantic Sun Conference, North Alabama posted a 9-20 (.310) mark last season – a year that ended with just one win in their final six outings. The Lions are off to a much better start this season with a perfect 2-0 record. The contest is slated to be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
The Cardinals close out the tournament Saturday when they face Grambling State. The Tigers were one of the SWAC's top teams last year. They went 11-17 on the season but were 8-8 (.500) in conference matches. GSU is 1-2 on the season – with their lone win coming against Southern Illinois – but the Tigers will face North Alabama and UNO before stepping on the court Saturday to face the Cardinals. The Cardinals final match in Alabama is slated for an 11 a.m. start.