FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona volleyball team responded in a big way against a feisty UC Riverside squad to conclude the first day of their Lumberjack Classic with a second win – and eighth straight overall to start the season – in four sets. NAU registered a season-high 17.0 blocks, with nine coming in the final set, in its 25-17, 18-25, 25-19, 25-12, victory over the Highlanders Friday evening in the Rolle Activity Center.

"First of all, I thought Riverside played really well," said head coach Ken Murphy. "They passed and played really good defense and they forced us to react in some ways that we typically don't react. It was good for our team to be challenged like that because you have to have some adversity. For most of the match, we were passive with our blocking but once we got positive touches with our block (in the fourth set), it changed the way they played like they did to us earlier in the match. It created opportunities for us to score points."

Senior Taylor Stephens' kill got the ball rolling in the first set, sparking the Lumberjacks to break open a tight beginning. With the set tied at 10-10, NAU surged ahead with a 6-1 run to take an 11-16 lead that it would not relinquish. Junior Janae Vander Ploeg led the Lumberjacks with five first-set kills, including the final two points, as the team hit a match-best .314 in the opening set.

The second set was all Highlanders from the onset as UC Riverside reeled off 11 straight points to take a commanding 12-2 lead early. The Lumberjacks were able to steadily climb back, eventually forcing a UCR timeout with their deficit sliced to 19-13, and they got within four at 21-17 following another of Vander Ploeg's match-high 17 kills. But late NAU rally was not enough as the Highlanders finished off a dominating set in which they hit .412, the highest hit percentage by an opponent in a set this season.

With both teams battling hard in the pivotal match-changing third set, it was NAU who would prevail. A 5-1 run spurred by a pair of kills from senior Sydney Kemper proved to be the difference maker, snapping a 10-10 tie. UC Riverside managed to stick around, but four ball handling errors in the set proved to be a detriment in an otherwise close set in which neither team would lead by more than four until the final two points. The Lumberjacks managed to pull out the win, responding from their tough second set with the help of a spirited home crowd of 487.

"We were not playing like ourselves in the second set and we knew it," Kemper said. "Each and every one of us had the motivation to come out and do our jobs (in the third set) to get that 2-1 lead. It's great to be in the Rolle and the crowd helps so much. This match was definitely a tough one, so we needed that energy, loudness and support from the crowd to get us going again."

With the 2-1 lead and the momentum, NAU finished off UC Riverside with a flurry in the final set in large part because of its play at the net. The block was crucial in a 9-0 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 12-4 lead as half of the Lumberjacks' first 12 points were results of blocks. Sophomore Isabelle Gosar keyed another 7-0 run a few points later with three kills and a block and the 'Jacks were on their way to the convincing fourth set victory. In the set, as a product of NAU's defense, UC Riverside committed 16 errors to just four kills for a -.333 clip.

"It wasn't so much about us figuring them out, but more so we executed what we were supposed to do from the beginning," Kemper said. "We talked about it beforehand on how we needed to block this team and it just clicked in the last game. Everyone was up (at the net) blocking."

The 17.0 team blocks was one short of the Rolle Activity Center four-set team record set by NAU in 1997. Kemper posted a team-high seven blocks, while Stephens and Gosar each recorded six blocks; for Gosar that set a new career-high. Stephens and Vander Ploeg each posted two of the team's season-high six solo blocks.

Although NAU hit just .213 – its lowest mark since the season-opener – its defense late limited UCR to a .070 clip. Vander Ploeg's 17 kills led all players and she notched her fifth double-double of the season with 15 digs. Kemper also recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs in addition to her block total and sophomore Lauren Jacobsen and redshirt junior Stacia Williams also totaled double-digit digs in the victory.

The Lumberjacks conclude the Lumberjack Classic – and aim for the tournament title – against Albany on Saturday in the Rolle Activity Center at 12 p.m. prior to the NAU Football home opener. Albany completed the first day with a 1-1 record, scoring a five-set win against UC Riverside before falling in five sets to Grand Canyon.