CEDAR CITY, Utah – Facing a quick turnaround on the road after playing at home on Thursday, the Northern Arizona volleyball team made quick work of Southern Utah Saturday night, sweeping the Thunderbirds, 25-15, 25-20, 25-18. Senior Janae Vander Ploeg moved into third all-time in school history in career kills in the win, picking up her 10th double-double of the season as the 'Jacks saw their record improve to 13-4 overall and 3-1 in conference.

"This was the best match we've played in a couple weeks for sure," said head coach Ken Murphy. "I was impressed with our team's ability to control our side (of the net) and control all phases of the game. We connected really well on offense, but also made a lot of little plays that made it tough for Southern Utah. Our defense was really strong."

Vander Ploeg recorded 14 kills and 19 digs, both of which paced all players, and finished the match with 1,361 career kills to surpass Ellie Butterfield on the all-time chart. She is now 45 kills away from second place and 121 kills away from tying the school record.

Vander Ploeg got the Lumberjacks rolling with four kills in the team's first five points as NAU took an early lead and never let up. The 'Jacks took the lead at 3-2 and led the rest of the way, hitting .371 in the opening set with a balanced offensive attack. While Vander Ploeg finished the set with five kills, senior Payton Bock and junior Lauren Jacobsen each tallied three kills.

Both teams exchanged runs in the second set, the tightest of the night, and were locked in a 15-15 tie. The stalemate was temporary as junior Addy Lofstedt and redshirt freshman Brittni Dorsey double blocked the Thunderbird attack only for Jacobsen and Bock to follow with a block of their own. The Lumberjacks pulled ahead 23-17, only for Southern Utah to score four straight points to force an NAU timeout. Bock came out of the timeout with a kill and a T-Bird error on the next point ended the set.

After hitting only .190 in the second set, the Lumberjacks re-found their offensive stride after the intermission hitting .366 in the closing set. Junior Jensen Barton was masterful in setting the attack, registering 16 assists on 19 NAU kills in the third set. The Thunderbirds trailed by just three before the Lumberjacks pulled away with a 7-2 run to push their lead to 18-10 on their way to a sweep. The NAU offense was on point throughout with Vander Ploeg and Jacobsen each recording four kills with Bock, Dorsey and Lofstedt notching three kills apiece in the third set alone.

"We appreciate that when we work hard and we play together with energy, it's really powerful for us," Murphy said. "Our team made a big effort in improving in that area. We still have a lot to improve, but we're just seeing the beginning of a lot of good things for our team."

NAU hit .305 for the match while Southern Utah hit only .106, the lowest opponent percentage since Liberty hit .108 against the 'Jacks on Sept. 5. NAU also held a 9.0-4.0 block advantage and notched 14 more kills than Southern Utah.

Jacobsen joined Vander Ploeg in double-digit kills with 10 and also recorded eight digs and five blocks in a strong effort Saturday night. Bock hit .450 and finished with nine kills and six blocks. Lofstedt hit .429 and had six kills, while Barton dished out 37 assists. Redshirt senior Stacia Williams posted 15 digs in her seventh consecutive double-digit dig match.

The Lumberjacks continue their early conference season road swing next week with matches at Montana on Thursday and Montana State on Saturday.