MATCH NOTES (PDF)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - In the same position as seven other teams this week, the Northern Arizona volleyball team are in win-or-go-home mode with the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line at the Big Sky Championships. The fifth-seeded Lumberjacks will take on fourth-seeded Portland State in the first round on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. MST in the Nest, the home of the regular season champion Sacramento State.

"We're excited about how we're playing right now and to be in a situation where the stakes are higher," said head coach Ken Murphy. "We're definitely confident going into the week, and we feel like the matchups are good for us. But we also know that we have a tough road. All the teams ahead of us are really good and have proven themselves throughout the year. That's what are team needs though, and these are going to be great challenges for us."

NAU finished the regular season with a 13-14 record and a 9-7 record in conference play. Its 9-7 mark ranked third in the Big Sky South Division. The Lumberjacks were swept by North Dakota on the road last Thursday, but returned the favor in their home finale on Saturday versus Southern Utah. Redshirt junior Kaylie Jorgenson currently ranks third in the Big Sky with an average of 3.84 kills per set. She concluded the regular season with a conference-best 4.17 kills per set in league play. Jorgenson has recorded 18 double-doubles which is third-most in the Big Sky. In the final match of the season, sophomore Abby Akin registered a season-best eight blocks and leads the Lumberjacks with 1.07 blocks per set. Her block average is 10th in the conference overall, with 1.18 blocks per set in conference play, which was third. Akin also hit .398 in conference play. Freshman Heaven Harris is second on the team in kills at 2.79 per set. She ranks fourth in the conference in hitting at .366 for the season, which would be the second-highest season attack percentage in school history.

Thursday's match at North Dakota will be televised on the Midco Sports Network and will be available to all fans on pluto.tv or the Pluto TV app, Channel 240. As always, NAU's home match can be streamed on Pluto TV Channel 239.

The Tournament Field: NAU owns a 5-6 record against the seven other teams in the Big Sky Championships. On their side of the bracket, the Lumberjacks were 2-0 versus Portland State - their first round opponent - and split the season series with the host, Sacramento State. NAU dropped its only head-to-head meeting with No. 8 Northern Colorado. The 'Jacks also swept the season series with No. 6 Idaho State, but they did not defeat any of the three remaining teams on the opposite side of the bracket - No. 2 North Dakota, No. 3 Idaho and No. 7 Weber State.

Big Sky Championships History: The Lumberjacks are 14-17 all-time in the Big Sky Championships, but are 5-1 in the last two seasons having reached the championship match in both 2015 and 2016. The Lumberjacks won the 2015 Big Sky Tournament Championship. Under head coach Ken Murphy, NAU owns a 6-3 record in four tournament appearances from 2013-16. This week marks the fourth time NAU has earned the No. 5 seed at the conference championships. In the previous three times, the Lumberjacks are 1-3. This is also the seventh year in which the Lumberjacks will compete in the Big Sky Championships in Sacramento - and first since 2007. NAU is 6-5 in tournament matches in Sacramento, including winning the program's first-ever Big Sky title in 1999.

October 12 - Northern Arizona 3, Portland State 1: NAU claimed its first of two regular season victories over Portland State in Portland on Oct. 12. The Lumberjacks won in four sets, and the victory was highlighted by a career-best six aces from junior Jordan Anderson. Anderson's six aces were the most by a Lumberjack in a single match in almost a decade. The Lumberjacks outhit the Vikings by a slim .244-.242 margin. Portland State at the time led the conference in hitting percentage in league matches. The match was tied at 1-1, but the Lumberjacks prevailed in the pivotal third set. The third set was tied 21 times and the lead exchanged hands eight times. The Lumberjacks were led offensively by Jorgenson, who set a new career-high at the time with 24 kills. She hit .304 in the match.

October 28 - Northern Arizona 3, Portland State 1: NAU proceeded to complete the regular season sweep two weeks later at home, once again winning in four sets. NAU totaled 12.0 blocks and kept Portland State to only a .155 hitting percentage. Leading the Lumberjacks' blocking performance were Harris and redshirt junior Brittni Dorsey. Harris tied a season-high with seven, while Dorsey recorded a season-best five blocks in reserve. Three other Lumberjacks had at least three blocks apiece. After attacking the Vikings from every spot on the court to claim the first two sets, the Lumberjacks had to turn to their defense to close the match. NAU persevered and Jorgenson wrapped up the victory with her match-best 16th kill.

NAU Quick Hits: Opponents have hit just .183 over the last eight matches versus NAU...NAU is 12-4 this season when posting more aces than its opponents and 10-3 when they have outblocked their opposition...The Lumberjacks have won 13 of 14 matches this season when they have a higher hitting percentage and are winless in 13 matches when they have been outhit.

About Portland State: Portland State earned the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament by compiling an 11-5 Big Sky record this season. The Vikings, at 20-8 overall, were one of three teams to win 20 matches during the regular season. Last week, Portland State fell to Weber State in four sets and rebounded to sweep Idaho State on the road. The Vikings are hitting .242, which is second-highest in the conference, and is allowing opponents to hit only .202, which is third-lowest in the conference. Portland State leads the Big Sky with 13.99 kills per set, including 14.53 kills per set in league play. Caitlin Bettenay leads the team and ranks second in the Big Sky with 3.88 kills per set. The Vikings also have three of the conference's stat leaders including Mikaelyn Sych (.383 hitting percentage), Erin Clark (11.40 assists per set) and Tasha Bojanic (4.94 digs per set).