FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Just 12 days after grinding their way past Southern Utah, the Northern Arizona volleyball team struck fast, struck early and struck often in dispatching the Thunderbirds, 25-17, 25-15, 25-18, in Thursday's Big Sky quarterfinal match. NAU (26-4) tied the school record with its 26th win of the season and hit a season-best .448 in front of a Rolle Activity Center crowd of 714.

"We looked fresh and had a lot of energy," said head coach Ken Murphy. "We had a lot of respect for the way Southern Utah played the last time they were here and that brought out the best in us. I was proud of us to be able to raise our level like that."

NAU set a new school record with its 12th home win of the season and remained unbeaten on its home court.

Southern Utah was able to contain NAU to a .241 percentage in its last trip to Flagstaff on Nov. 7 – a four-set win for the 'Jacks – but would have no such success on Thursday. Junior Lauren Jacobsen led the way with 17 kills and hit a career-best .471, while senior Janae Vander Ploeg record 13 kills on .500 hitting and senior Payton Bock hit .467 with nine kills.

Behind the strong arm of Jacobsen, who notched six of her match-high kills in the opening set, NAU jumped on Southern Utah by hitting .485 in the opener. The set was relatively close as the Lumberjacks struggled to slow down the Thunderbirds initially, but four kills by Jacobsen during a 6-0 run late helped NAU pull away. The run gave the 'Jacks a 24-14 lead, and junior Jensen Barton finished the set with a dump shot on NAU's fourth-set point.

SUU hit .286 in the first set, but found it difficult to find any offensive rhythm in the second set. NAU forced nine Thunderbird attack errors and the visitors hit zero in a set that was controlled by the Lumberjacks throughout. The Lumberjacks had a 7-0 run, followed by a 6-0 run and led 19-7 before no time. Jacobsen once again put down six kills in the period, while NAU never trailed for the second set in a row.

While Jacobsen did much of the heavy lifting in the first two sets, Barton went to Bock, Jacobsen and Vander Ploeg in the third set to complete the sweep. The trio each recorded five kills in the final set, and the Lumberjacks had to play from behind until using a five-point run to take control. Four of Vander Ploeg's five kills came during the surge as the Lumberjacks scored 11 of 13 points to turn an 11-10 deficit into a 21-13 lead. Bock's final kill pounded off the SUU block, sealing up NAU's 15th consecutive victory.

"Our team feeds off the energy of the crowd, but we don't rely on it," Murphy said. "We create our own energy on our side, and that's the key to playing the match steady. We did a really good job of controlling our side of the net and our environment tonight."

Vander Ploeg recorded her 16th double-double of the season with 12 digs to go along with her kill count, and she also notched three of NAU's six service aces. With her 13 kills, she set a new single season school record with 526 kills.

Barton handed out 40 assists also hit above .400 at .429. Junior Addy Lofstedt added to NAU's attack with five kills and hit .300 herself. Defensively Bock tallied five blocks. Jacobsen, senior Jordan Leiter and redshirt senior Stacia Williams combined for 22 digs, nearly half of NAU's team total of 46.

The Lumberjacks' semifinal test will be Sacramento State, who knocked out the defending conference tournament champions Northern Colorado in four sets on Thursday. The tournament's top four seeds all advanced to Friday's semifinals.

"We know in the tournament that everyone is back to square one," Jacobsen said. "We're all even again, and even though we have the home court advantage, we need to bring our own energy."

No. 2 Idaho and No. 3 Idaho State will square off in the first semifinal on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The top-seeded Lumberjacks and the fourth-seeded Hornets will follow at 7 p.m. Both matches will be played in the Rolle Activity Center. Tickets can be purchased online HERE or by calling 928-523-5661. All NAU students get in free with their student ID.