FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Northern Arizona volleyball travels to Los Angeles, Calif., for the three-day Holiday Inn LA City Center Trojan Invitational from Thursday, Sept. 3 to Saturday, Sept. 5. The Lumberjacks will play at No. 21 Pepperdine on Thursday at 7 p.m., Florida Gulf Coast on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and No. 16 USC at 10 a.m. No. 16 USC and No. 21 Pepperdine are co-hosting the four-team tournament.

Tournament Schedule
Thursday Sept. 3
No. 16 USC (2-1) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (1-2) – Galen Center – 7 p.m.
#21 Pepperdine (3-0) vs. Northern Arizona (1-2) – Firestone Fieldhouse – 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 4
Florida Gulf Coast (1-2) vs. Northern Arizona (1-2) – Galen Center – 4:30 p.m.
No. 16 USC (2-1) vs. No. 21 Pepperdine (3-0) – Galen Center – 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 5
No. 16 USC (2-1) vs. Northern Arizona (1-2) – Galen Center – 10 a.m.
#21 Pepperdine vs. Florida Gulf Coast (1-2) - Firestone Fieldhouse - 1 p.m.

Live Stats and Webcast
For this weekend's matches, live webcasts and stats will be available. On Friday, pepperdinesports.com will broadcast the Lumberjacks match and the link is available here: Live Webcast. Those who wish to view the live stats can do so through the following link: Live Stats.  Fans wishing to view the contest will be charged a nominal fee for webcasts. Live stats are free of charge.

For Saturday and Sunday's matches against Florida Gulf Coast and USC, a live webcast will be offered through usctrojans.com also for a fee.  Fans can sign up for the webcast here: Live Webcast.  Once again, those interested in live stats can find them here: Live Stats.

Positive Results in Boise
Northern Arizona volleyball finished third last weekend at the 2009 Boise State Bronco Invitational. The Lumberjacks were 1-2 in three matches over two days with a win over Boise State (3-1) and losses against CS Northridge (3-2) and Tulsa (3-0). The Lumberjacks nearly pulled off a pair of upsets as they were tied 12-12 in the fifth set against Northridge and within two points (22-20) in the second and third sets against Tulsa.

Long Time Coming
Prior to last Friday, the Lumberjacks last win over Boise State win in 1995, a four-set home win. At that time, Boise State was a member of the Big Sky Conference. The Broncos later accepted an invitation to the Western Athletic Conference departing from the Big Sky in 1996. NAU swept Boise in the 1995 season (3-0 and 3-2) and has since only played NAU twice in the past 14 years.

The Young Get Younger
The Northern Arizona volleyball roster consists of 12 freshman and sophomores. Junior Chelsea Cheeley and senior Jana Mays-Robinson are the only upperclassmen on the 2009 roster. At the Boise State Bronco Invitational, the Lumberjacks started four freshmen and sophomores and five others saw significant playing time.

Tournament Honors for New Lumberjack
Lauren Campbell, playing in her first tournament as a collegiate, was selected to the Bronco all-tournament team. In three matches, Campbell totaled 34 kills, 37 digs and four blocks. In the Lumberjacks 3-1 win over Boise State, Campbell, a freshman outside hitter from Covington, Wash., posted a double-double with a game-high 18 digs, 14 kills, and a .244 hitting percentage. She equaled the feat on Saturday in a 3-2 loss to Cal State Northridge with 15 digs and 13 kills. Against tournament champion Tulsa, Campbell added seven kills and four digs in a three-set loss.

Newcomers Making a Difference
In addition to Lauren Campbell's efforts this past weekend, freshmen Anna Gott and Kelli Dallmann submitted noteworthy debuts. Gott, from Mesa, Ariz., totaled 28 digs in her first-ever collegiate match against Boise State. Dallmann filled up the stat line as well with a team-high .292 hitting percentage, 11 assists, 10 kills, eight digs, and four service aces in the Lumberjacks 3-2 loss to Cal State Northridge.

Series History
NAU is 0-2 all-time against No. 21 Pepperdine with its last match a 3-0 loss in 2001. The Lumberjacks have never faced Florida Gulf Coast and No. 16 USC.

Media/Practice Information
The Lumberjacks will practice Monday-Wednesday this week from 2-4:30 p.m. in the Rolle Activity Center. Media wishing to attend practice should contact Joe Scacco at 928-523-6330 or joseph.scacco@nau.edu.

History
What is the history of Northern Arizona volleyball? We're glad you asked. Going back to the old AIAW days, NAU has been a player in women's intercollegiate athletics for 34 years. In its 22 years in the NCAA, NAU has posted nine winning seasons and 15 with double digit wins. The Lumberjacks have reached the postseason 14 of the past 18 years. In 1999, NAU went to the NCAA tournament suffering a 3-0 loss to No. 5 North Carolina.

No. 21 Pepperdine 3-0 (20-8 in 2007)
The Waves jumped into the Top 25 with a 3-0 start to the season and tournament win at the Colorado State Asics Classic. Pepperdine opened with a 3-0 sweep of No. 24 Colorado State followed by wins over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (3-0) and Oregon State (3-1). Kiah Fiers earned tournament MVP honors and WCC Player of the Week.

Players to Watch
Kiah Fiers 5-11, S, Sr. (10.30 apg, 2.40 dpg
Lilla Frederick 5-10, OH, So. (3.40 kpg, 2.00 dpg)
Rachel Grochmal 6-3, OH, Sr. (3.20 kpg, 2.90 dpg)

Florida Gulf Coast 1-2 (20-8 in 2007)
The Eagles opened the 2009 season at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla., posting a 1-2 record. Florida Gulf Coast was defeated by Miami (3-0) and South Florida (3-0), but won its final match over Prairie A&M (3-1). Emma Racilla earned Miami Invitational all-tournament team honors.

Players to Watch
Emma Racilla 6-1, OH, Jr. (3.33 kpg, .303 hitting pct.)

No. 16 USC (17-12 in 2007)
The Trojans finished second at the Michigan State Showcase last weekend to open 2-1 in 2009. No. 16 USC was upset by Michigan State in their first match in a five-set thriller, but then beat North Carolina and Albany with 3-0 sweeps. Alex Jupiter and Kimmee Roleder picked up all-tournament selections.

Players to Watch
Jessica Gysin 6-1, OH, Sr. (3.40 kpg, 1.80 dpg)
Alex Jupiter 6-3, OH, So. (3.82 kpg, 2.27 dpg)
Kendall Bateman 5-11, S, So. (11.09 apg, 1.45 dpg)