BIG SKY TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

Match Information:

Opponent: Idaho State (Saturday, Nov. 21/7:00 p.m.)

Location: Rolle Activity Center - Flagstaff, Ariz.

Live Stats: www.bigskyconf.com

Live Video: www.watchbigsky.com

MATCH NOTES (PDF)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The Northern Arizona volleyball team is one win from Big Sky supremacy and a ticket punched to the NCAA Tournament. To accomplish both, the Lumberjacks will need to defeat Idaho State in the Big Sky Championship tonight at 7 p.m. in the Rolle Activity Center, in a battle between the preseason favorites to hoist the trophy.

NAU has not dropped a set so far in the Big Sky tournament, sweeping No. 8 Southern Utah and No. 4 Sacramento State while dominating both matches offensively and defensively. The Lumberjacks have outhit both the Thunderbirds and the Hornets by a .446-.126 combined margin and not allowing either team to reach 20 points in any of the six sets the last two nights.

Ticket Information: Tickets are available for purchase now by calling 928-523-5661 or ordering online HERE. Ticket are $10 for adults and $6 for youth and seniors. All NAU students will receive free admission with a student ID.

Thoughts from Ken Murphy: "We're going to focus on some places we can get a little better and some areas against Idaho State that we know we can better specifically. We have a lot of respect for Idaho State and we know it's going to be a great match. It's important for us to stay humble and know that it's going to take a lot of work to get another result like the last two nights."

Previewing The 'Jacks: The top-seeded Lumberjacks (27-4) have reached the tournament final by jumping on their opponents early and keeping the energy high in front of stellar Rolle Activity Center crowds. NAU has set the two highest single match hitting percentages in league tournament history, hitting .448 against Southern Utah and .443 against Sacramento State. Junior Lauren Jacobsen is averaging 4.83 kills per set on .422 hitting and senior Janae Vander Ploeg is right behind at 4.67 kills per set on .509 hitting. Junior Jensen Barton has posted 73 assists in two matches and senior Payton Bock has a team-best seven blocks.

Scouting Idaho State: The third-seeded Bengals (23-9) needed to overcome a 2-0 deficit in their first match of the weekend to knock off No. 6 Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals, but controlled No. 2 Idaho in the semifinals to reach the championship. Idaho State is hitting .265 through two matches here in Flagstaff this weekend with Tressa Lyman averaging 4.56 kills per set on .283 hitting. Makenzie Filer and Chloe Hirst are both averaging over two kills per set while Filer has a team-high 10 blocks.

Series History: 

• NAU and Idaho State will be meeting for the 69th time in school history. Idaho State leads the all-time series 37-31. NAU won both meetings this season, winning in four sets at home on Oct. 17 and in three sets on the road on Oct. 29.

N-A-U Should Know: 

• NAU is in the Big Sky tournament championship for the third time in school history. The Lumberjacks are 1-1 all-time, losing in 1997 to Sacramento State and defeating Cal State Northridge in 1999 for the program's lone tournament title.
• NAU has won its last 16 matches, breaking the 2011 team's 12-match winning streak for longest in school history.
• The 'Jacks have won a school record 27 matches this season, surpassing the previous record of 26 set in 1991.
• The Lumberjacks are a perfect 13-0 at home this season, setting a new school record for home wins in a single season. They also completed their first undefeated home regular season in school history at 11-0.
• This week, NAU ranks No. 41 in the NCAA RPI rankings.
• Janae Vander Ploeg's school record 1,604 kills ranks seventh all-time in conference history. Vander Ploeg is 12th among all active Division I players in the country.
• Vander Ploeg ranks fifth in the country with 541 kills and eighth with 4.71 kills per set. She also ranks fifth with 615.0 points and sixth with 5.35 points per set.
• Payton Bock ranks second in the country with 170 total blocks this season. Her school record total of 546 blocks are second-most among active Division I players, and she ranks ninth in Big Sky history.
• As a team, NAU is fifth nationally with 315.0 blocks this season. The 'Jacks rank 21st in block average at 2.74 blocks per set.
• The Lumberjacks rank ninth in the country with 1.78 aces per set and fourth with 205 total service aces.

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