Match Information:

Opponent: Montana (Thursday, Oct. 9/7:00 p.m.)

Opponent: Montana State (Saturday, Oct. 11/7:00 p.m.)

Location: Rolle Activity Center - Flagstaff, Ariz.

MATCH NOTES (PDF)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The Northern Arizona volleyball team returns to the Rolle Activity Center for a critical homestand versus Montana on Thursday and Montana State on Saturday, before heading back out on the road for the next two weeks. Both matches will start at 7 p.m.

Saturday's match is the team's annual Think Pink match in support of breast cancer awareness. Fans who attend the match in pink will receive a $3 ticket for admission at the door.

Follow the Action: Live stats and live video for both of this weekend's matches will be available. Both of this week's matches will be televised live by NAU-TV and broadcasted live on Fox Sports Arizona Plus and Fox College Sports Pacific. The matches will also be available live locally in Flagstaff on Suddenlink Channels 4 and 104 and online at www.nau-tv.com. Fox Sports Arizona will replay Thursday's match versus Montana on Friday, Oct. 10 at 9:30 a.m. and Saturday's match versus Montana State on Monday, Oct. 13 at 6 a.m. For the live stat and video links, visit the NAU Volleyball schedule page.

Ken Murphy's Thoughts: "Both Montana and Montana State present different challenges for us. Last weekend helped us identify some areas we can keep improving in, and it gave us a tremendous amount of confidence in our ability to regroup and deal with adversity. I'm excited with putting that into play this weekend. Being at home gives us comfort, but we're focused on Montana on Thursday and the things we need to do to be successful and improve through that match."

Previewing The 'Jacks: The Lumberjacks successfully bounced back from a difficult loss - their first of the conference season - last Thursday at Idaho with an impressive victory at Southern Utah on Saturday to return home with a 1-1 road trip. NAU, now 12-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play, was led by senior Sydney Kemper last week as she hit .367 while averaging 3.57 kills, 3.00 digs and 1.14 blocks per set in the two matches. Juniors Payton Bock (1.29 blocks/set) and Janae Vander Ploeg (five solo blocks) led a strong NAU effort at the net as the 'Jacks averaged 2.71 team blocks per set. Senior Taylor Stephens also enjoyed a strong offensive weekend, hitting .385, as NAU hit .271 on its most recent road trip.

Scouting Montana: The Grizzlies are coming off an 0-2 weekend at home with four-set losses to North Dakota and Northern Colorado, falling to 2-14 overall and 2-2 in the conference. Montana endured a winless non-conference schedule but managed to sweep the first weekend of Big Sky play before last week. Sophomore Michelle Robinson is Montana's top attacker at 2.34 kills per set while freshman Taylor Schile leads the Grizzlies in digs at 3.16 per set. Junior Capri Richardson ranks fifth in the Big Sky in blocking at 1.12 per set, and Montana ranks sixth as a team with 2.23 per set.

Scouting Montana State: Like the Grizzlies, the Bobcats suffered home losses to Northern Colorado and North Dakota last weekend and have dropped their first four Big Sky matches this season. At 3-13 overall and 0-4 in the conference, Montana State enters the week having lost its last seven matches. Sophomore Kennadie Clute, last season's Big Sky Freshman of the Year, leads the Bobcats with 3.41 kills per set. Freshman Jolie Meade and senior Kasey Schlatter both rank fifth in the conference with a .340 hitting percentage and 3.84 digs per set respectively.

Series History: 

• NAU and Montana will be meeting for the 61st time in school history. Montana leads the all-time series 33-27. NAU won the season series, 2-1, last season sweeping the two regular season matchups in four sets (23-25, 26-24, 25-17, 25-17) in Missoula and (25-19, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24) in Flagstaff. Montana defeated NAU in the Big Sky Championship quarterfinals in five sets (25-16, 25-22, 20-25, 21-25, 15-10) in Portland, Ore.
• NAU and Montana State will be meeting for the 58th time in school history. NAU leads the all-time series 34-23. The teams split the season series last season with both teams winning at home. Montana State won in five sets (25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 25-18, 15-13) and NAU won in four sets (24-26, 25-19, 25-21, 25-17).

N-A-U Should Know: 

• The Lumberjacks were picked first in a tie with Idaho State in the Big Sky Preseason Poll in a vote by the league coaches. NAU and Idaho State both received 108 points and four first-place votes.
• The Lumberjacks' 12-3 record through its first 15 matches equals the third-best start to the season in school history. The 1991 and 2011 teams both started 13-2. It is the program's fifth 12-3 mark through 15 matches to begin the season, achieved previously in 1983, 1992, 2008 and 2012.
• In the first RPI of the 2014 season released on Monday, NAU is ranked just outside the top-100 at No. 105. The Lumberjacks are the highest ranking team in the Big Sky, seven spots above North Dakota, who sits at No. 112.
• NAU has won the first set in 12 of its 15 matches this season. The 'Jacks are 12-0 when winning the opening set.
• NAU has hit above .200 in 13 of 13 matches, while limiting its opponents to a sub-.200 percentage in nine of 15 matches.
• Since the start of the 2012 season, the Lumberjacks are 24-4 at home. They captured their 200th all-time victory at the Rolle on Sept. 25 versus Portland State.
• As a team, NAU leads the Big Sky Conference in hitting percentage (.261), kills (13.42/set), assists (12.69/set) and service aces (1.65/set) entering the week. The Lumberjacks are first or second in five of seven statistical categories. They are third in opponent hitting percentage and digs.
• Junior Payton Bock leads the conference in hitting percentage at .389.
• Sophomore Jensen Barton leads the conference in service aces with 0.42 per set. Junior Janae Vander Ploeg ranks second in the conference in service aces with 0.38 per set.
• The Lumberjacks have three players in the top-10 of the Big Sky in hitting percentage: Bock (.389, first), senior Taylor Stephens (.340, sixth) and senior Sydney Kemper (.303, ninth).

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