OXFORD, Ohio – Saturday's Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational finale between the Northern Arizona volleyball team and Miami was the perfect encapsulation of the Lumberjacks' first weekend of 2017. Moments of brilliance intertwined with learning opportunities filled NAU's 25-17, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22 defeat to the host as the 'Jacks bring back a 1-2 record with them to Flagstaff.
"We got so many good things out of this weekend including tonight's match," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "I thought offensively we were diverse and we found offensive plays that are going to work at a really high level. I'm really proud of their effort and the way we were able to be resilient through all of these tough matches this weekend."
NAU scratched and clawed throughout its last match of the tournament, battling three teams who each ranked in the top 75 of the NCAA RPI rankings last season. Facing Miami – an NCAA Tournament participant last season – NAU dropped two of its three sets by four points or less, bringing its weekend total to six of eight set losses by that margin.
Still, there were many bright spots including redshirt junior
Kaylie Jorgenson, who was named to the All-Tournament team after posting her third double-double of the weekend with 11 kills and 18 digs. She finished with weekend averages of 3.17 kills and 3.92 digs per set.
As a team, NAU hit a weekend-best .278 versus the RedHawks, but it struggled to slow down Miami's attack. Miami hit .300 or better in all three of its set wins, while not coincidentally was limited to a .150 clip in the set it dropped.
The first set was tied every step of the way until 5-5, before sophomore
Sydney Lema found the floor with a pair of kills to shift the momentum slightly. The second of back-to-back kills by sophomore
Abby Stomp gave the 'Jacks a 9-7 lead, only for the RedHawks to score the next four points. The Lumberjacks were forced to play catch-up from there and despite finding themselves down just 18-16, they surrendered seven of the final points to fall into an early deficit.
NAU had to play from behind again to start the second set down 11-6, but sophomore
Abby Akin and freshman
Heaven Harris fueled a huge 8-1 run with five combined kills. The 'Jacks maintained their advantage until Miami tied the score at 17-17 following a timeout. An ace from redshirt junior
Brittni Dorsey followed a Miami service error, which gave NAU enough of a cushion at 20-18 to eventually even up the match score.
Seeking a 2-1 advantage in the match but trailing by as much as nine late in the third set at 23-14, NAU forged a furious comeback that ultimately fell short. Redshirt sophomore
Victoria Ewalefo, who entered the match at the start of set three, sparked the rally with a kill while Lema recorded three kills herself during a 7-2 run to close the game.
Although the late third set rally fell short, the momentum carried into the fourth set as Jorgenson notched three of her kills during an 8-2 start. Recording six of her 11 kills in the final stanza, Jorgenson gave NAU a seemingly comfortable lead at 15-10 with a kill. However, Miami ripped off an 11-3 run that provided the home team with a three-point lead it never relinquished.
Where NAU struggled was at the service line, a spot where it totaled just three aces to 14 errors, and the 'Jacks only managed three team blocks. The back line held tough though as five players finished in double-figures in digs. Both Lema and Stomp posted double-doubles along with Jorgenson.
"We never got the service pressure and defense that we're accustomed to and that's what we learned the most," Murphy said. "We weren't controlling the match from that stand point and we're used to playing that way. It got us unsettled, but as we form the identity of our team, we're going to focus on that more."
With Stomp setting the offense, Lema – who had a team-high 13 kills – led three players with double-digit kills. Harris was one of them as she finished with 12 kills against Miami on .455 hitting.
An encore trip to the Midwest is next on deck for NAU as it will compete in the Hampton Inn Jackrabbit Invitational hosted by South Dakota State next weekend. The tournament starts for NAU versus Valparaiso on Friday, Sept. 1 at 2:30 p.m. in Brookings, S.D.
