MATCH NOTES (PDF)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The Northern Arizona volleyball team starts off a stretch of five home matches in their last six overall to conclude the regular season this week with rematches against Sacramento State and Portland State in the Rolle Activity Center. The Hornets, at 10-0 in conference, and the Vikings, at 8-2 in conference, are two of the top three teams in the conference. NAU will aim to knock off the Big Sky's last remaining undefeated team on Thursday at 7 p.m. before hosting Portland State at 12 p.m. on Homecoming Saturday.

"The key to being successful at a really high level is finding the right balance to play where your best when you're playing the best," said head coach Ken Murphy. "Our team has improved so much in this area as we've gone through this season. This weekend is two more chances to balance our expectations of being successful in front of our home crowd with the idea of playing our best volleyball."

NAU is back to even in conference play at 5-5, and is 9-12 overall, following two road victories over Montana State and Montana. The Lumberjacks handed Portland State one of its two conference losses on Oct. 12, while they fell to Sacramento State in four sets on Oct. 14. Redshirt junior Kaylie Jorgenson is the reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week after torching the Bobcats and Grizzlies last week with 35 total kills at 5.00 per set. Jorgenson now leads the league with 155 kills in conference play and is second with 4.19 per set. For the season, Jorgenson is third with 3.75 kills per set overall. In the last two weeks, and four matches overall, sophomore Abby Akin has become a more focal part of the offense, averaging 2.53 kills per set and hitting .400. With her increased offense, Akin has maintained her strong blocking by ranking second with 1.27 blocks per set in 10 Big Sky matches. Freshman Heaven Harris backed Jorgenson and Akin's offensive exploits last week by hitting .535 in the two victories on the Montana road trip. Harris recorded 26 kills at an average of 3.71 per set to continue to her impressive pace in conference play. She ranks second in league play with a .435 hitting percentage.

The first 100 NAU students to check in at the match on the Lumberjack Loyalty app will receive a pair of free NAU socks. All NAU students will receive a free t-shirt at the match as well.

Thursday's match will be televised locally in Flagstaff on NAU-TV Channel 4 and 104. That match, along with Saturday's, will be also be streamed online at pluto.tv or the Pluto TV app on Channel 239.

Keep It 100: NAU's victory at Montana State on Oct. 19 was a milestone one for head coach Ken Murphy, as he became just the second coach in program history to record 100 wins as a Lumberjack. Murphy accomplished the feat in his 144th career match at the helm of the 'Jacks. He needed 40 fewer matches than former head coach Kelley Sliva McKee (1993-2001) to reach 100 victories. Murphy is the fourth active Big Sky coach with at least 100 victories at their current institution, joining Lyndsey Oates (Northern Colorado), Michael Seemann (Portland State) and Ruben Volta (Sacramento State).

OH Canada: Jorgenson picked up her first career Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honor on Oct. 23 and became the first Lumberjack to receive a weekly honor by the conference office this season. Jorgenson led the Lumberjacks to a pair of victories on the road at Montana State and Montana the week prior by averaging 5.00 kills per set and 5.79 points per set. Along with her 35 total kills, Jorgenson tallied three aces and five blocks to account for 40.5 points in the two matches. The outside hitter from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was absolutely clutch when the Lumberjacks had the opportunity to clinch both victories, recording seven kills in both match-clinching sets against the Bobcats and Grizzlies. Against Montana, Jorgenson hit a season-high .438 and recorded 17 kills in the sweep. Her 17 kills were the most by a Lumberjack in a three-set match this season.

Rolle Reversal: As dominant as the Lumberjacks were at home over the last four years, they have uncharacteristically struggled in the Rolle Activity Center this season. NAU is just 1-5 at home this season after posting a 44-4 record at home from 2013-16. In conference play, NAU is winless in three home matches while the 'Jacks have posted a 5-2 record on the road. The five home losses are tied for the most in a season since 2011.

NAU Quick Hits: Akin ranks seventh in the conference in overall hitting percentage at .348...Sophomore Abby Stomp is averaging 8.44 assists per set, which ranks seventh in the Big Sky...In conference play, junior Jordan Anderson has totaled a team-high 15 service aces...NAU has totaled 52 aces in its last six matches as a team...The Lumberjacks are 9-1 when outhitting their opponent, 7-3 when they have more blocks and 8-3 when they have more aces.

About Sacramento State: Sacramento State became the first team to clinch a spot in the Big Sky Championships as it extended its win streak to 10 matches by sweeping Idaho and edging past Eastern Washington in five sets on the road. The Hornets remain the lone undefeated team in conference play at 10-0 and are 19-7 overall. The Hornets are ranked No. 23 in this week's VolleyballMag.com Mid-Major Poll. Sacramento State leads the nation in total assists (1,329), total digs (1,785), total attacks (4,061) and rank second in total kills (1,412). Kennedy Kurtz ranks second in the conference in assists per set with 11.15, but she leads the nation with 1,148 assists. She set the Hornets to a four-set win the first time the Lumberjacks faced them, recording 54 assists while adding 16 digs, six blocks and two aces. Mikaela Nocetti led the Hornets with 21 kills in the teams' first meeting and she leads the conference with 4.19 kills per set in conference play.

About Portland State: Portland State swept both Eastern Washington and Idaho last weekend on the road - its second and third consecutive sweeps since falling to the Lumberjacks two weeks ago. The Vikings are 17-5 overall and 8-2 in conference and currently are holding down the third spot in the Big Sky standings. Overall this season, the Vikings continue to lead the conference in kills with 14.22 per set as a team and are hitting .252, which ranks second in the Big Sky. Portland State is running a highly efficient attack in conference play with a .275 clip, while limiting its opponents to .186 hitting. The Vikings are averaging a Big Sky-best 15.45 kills per set in league matches. Caitlin Bettenay is tied for first in the conference with a kill average of 4.03 this season, and she posted a team-high 15 kills against the Lumberjacks at home. Defensively, Tasha Bojanic leads the Big Sky with 4.68 digs per set, including 5.85 per set in conference, and she recorded a match-high 25 digs versus NAU earlier this season.