UMass Lowell Athletics

AS A FRESHMAN (2018): Kennel played in 26 matches and 95 sets during her rookie season. She established a career-high of 175 digs and 21 digs per single match. Kennel leads the team in service aces with 23, ranks fourth in assists with 12, and third in digs with 175. Her first collegiate appearance occurred on Aug. 24 vs Eastern Washington.

BEFORE UMASS LOWELL: Kennel played club for Momentum Volleyball. Was a member of three state championship teams and undefeated teams (29-0) at Lewis-Palmer, posting a four-year record of 112-4. Served as captain in her senior season and received the Coaches Award in her freshman and senior years. Her club team won a bid to nationals in seven of the eight years she played, which included a second place finish at the Pacific Northwest qualifier and a fifth place at nationals in the open division in her sophomore year.

PERSONAL: Daughter of Julie and and Jon-Paul Kennel. Her nickname is “Lilo”. Her hobbies include boating, wakeboarding, surfing, snorkeling, swimming, working out and snowboarding. Kennel’s favorite TV shows include Friends, The Office and Orange in the New Black. Her favorite professional sports team is the Colorado Avalanche. Her favorite sports figure and influence is Karch Kiraly. Kennel’s favorite sports moment was placing fifth at nationals in the open division. After graduation, she would like to become an elementary school teacher or join the peace corps, so she can travel the world and help others who need it.

WHY KENNEL CHOSE UMASS LOWELL:  "I was looking at a couple other schools during the whole recruiting process and these other schools were nice don't get me wrong, but when I visited UMass Lowell there was a different vibe. It was a place I could actually envision myself going to school at. Of course I know I'm going to UMass Lowell to play volleyball, but when I met the coaching staff as well as the team they treated me like family and actually cared about me as a person.”

PROVANZANO ON KENNEL: "Aleyna first stood out to us while making big plays at a very high level.  She is aggressive and competitive, but also consistently plays with tremendous composure and a natural sense for the game.  It will be exciting to watch Aleyna continue to develop over the next four years and we have no doubt that she will have a great impact on our program."