FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – In their annual Dig Pink match, the Northern Arizona volleyball team had North Dakota green with envy during dominating straight-set sweep, 25-13, 25-15, 25-14, Thursday night in the Rolle Activity Center. The 'Jacks hit a season-best .382 in winning their seventh straight match, equaling the program's longest Big Sky win streak in school history. Led by an attack that came at UND from every angle and a strong service game, NAU improved to 18-4 and 8-1 in conference play.

"We were solid in serve receive and we were passing well which allowed Jensen (Barton) to set the offense exactly the way she wanted to," said head coach Ken Murphy. "It kept (North Dakota) off balance and we hit a really good percentage. We like putting pressure on our opponents and making them feel like they won't be able to kill a ball against us. Tonight that made us hungrier and gave us more energy; that's our game."

After an emotional win against Idaho State last Saturday, the Lumberjacks made it known early to North Dakota that there would be no let down on Thursday, ripping through the opening set by hitting .519. After UND claimed a 3-1 lead, its only lead of the entire night, NAU used a 4-0 run to take the lead behind a pair of kills by senior Janae Vander Ploeg. North Dakota hung tight, down 14-11, but another two kills from Vander Ploeg – who finished the opening set with six – helped push NAU's lead to 18-11. The 'Jacks used four aces, two from redshirt senior Stacia Williams, in the set to force UND out of system, and junior Lauren Jacobsen converted on three consecutive kills to wrap up the set. Jacobsen, like Vander Ploeg, also tallied six kills in the first game.

Jacobsen picked up where she left off in the second set, killing the first point and that was all NAU needed as it went coast-to-coast to take a 2-0 lead. Senior Payton Bock and junior Jensen Barton blocked UND's next point and in all, the Lumberjacks seized control early with seven of the first nine points. North Dakota never got closer than four points after an early timeout and NAU cruised into intermission. Bock's first block of the match was her 500th of her career, as she became the first player in school history to reach the 500 mark.

Bock and Jacobsen teamed for a block on the first point of the third set, and was followed by an ace by senior Jordan Leiter as the 'Jacks never trailed for the second consecutive game. Junior Addy Lofstedt was on point in the third set, recording a perfect game with five kills on five attacks, and between her and Vander Ploeg, the outside hitting tandem combined for seven straight kills to put NAU in the driver's seat at 12-3. The 'Jacks finished the match with 20 kills in the final set alone, just seven less than UND had the entire match to pick up the win in a brisk 69 minutes.

"We wanted to beat Idaho State (last weekend), and the mentality tonight was that no matter who the opponent is, we need to play at the same level," Lofstedt said. "Our biggest improvement is that we can bring it every single point and rebound when we're down."

Barton had the Lumberjacks running like a well-oiled machine, almost doubling up UND in kills, 50-27, for the match. She finished with 42 assists, and repeatedly put NAU's hitters in a position to succeed. Vander Ploeg hit .531, and recorded 18 kills against just one error. Jacobsen finished with nine kills, while Bock and Lofstedt each added eight kills. Barton attacked with high efficiency herself, totaling five kills without an error to hit .556.

Williams aced UND on four serves to set a new career-high, recording half of NAU's eight aces. Barton tallied two, while Bock and Leiter each had one. With a strong service game, North Dakota never got into an offensive rhythm. Despite notching a season-low four blocks as a team, NAU held UND to .144 hitting with 14 attack errors.

The Lumberjacks also outdug UND, 43-34, with four players finishing with at least eight digs. Jacobsen posted a team-high 10, with Leiter and Williams each finishing with nine and Vander Ploeg adding eight.

"We defended really well and got into a good groove," Murphy said. "This was maybe the first match all year that we played well all the way through and never let up. The team has been talking since (Idaho State) about how we want to play every match at that level. That's the character of our team and tonight we made a giant step towards that."

NAU finishes up the week on Saturday with a 12 p.m. first serve versus Northern Colorado in the Rolle Activity Center prior to the NAU Homecoming football game at 4 p.m.