BROOKINGS, S.D. – For the first time this season on Friday, the Northern Arizona volleyball team didn't have to play from behind. What followed was the Lumberjacks' first sweep of the season, as they opened their stay at the Hampton Inn Jackrabbits Invitational with a 25-19, 25-22, 25-19 victory over Valparaiso to improve to 2-2 this season.
"The biggest improvement we made this week was serving and blocking and today definitely felt more like the type of match we want to be in," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "Valparaiso was a really good passing team and a really good defensive team, and we were able to put enough pressure on them to score a bunch of points and get the intensity level to where we like it."
Feeling the need to ramp up their service pressure and presence at the net after last weekend, the Lumberjacks did both to the Crusaders Friday afternoon. Led by a career-high five aces from senior
Brooke Donnelly, NAU outaced Valparaiso by a healthy 11-1 margin. It was also a career-best performance for redshirt sophomore
Victoria Ewalefo as she posted a team-high four blocks. The 'Jacks outblocked the Crusaders, 7.0-3.0, and limited Valparaiso to .169 hitting – the lowest clip through by an opponent through four matches.
Sophomore
Sydney Lema, who tied for match-high honors with 11 kills, put down her first two of the match during a 5-2 run that helped NAU start with a 7-4 lead. Valparaiso gained the advantage and led 16-15 before a modest 3-0 spurt swung the tide in NAU's favor for good. Holding a slim 19-18 lead, the 'Jacks closed strong with a 6-1 run off five kills and a solo stuff by redshirt junior
Kaylie Jorgenson.
"We're growing and today was just a really steady match," Murphy said. "We didn't think too much about being ahead or being behind. We were a little more sure of ourselves and a little more confident in how our systems work. From start to end, we felt we were controlling the game and doing the things we wanted."
Finally with a 1-0 match lead in hand, NAU received a jolt at the service line from Lema, who aced the Crusaders twice and pushed the Lumberjacks out to a quick 5-0 second set advantage. A timeout by Valparaiso – who won 20 matches each season from 2002-15 until an injury-filled 2016 season – settled the Crusaders down and they were actually the first one to 15. Ewalefo and Jorgenson each recorded a kill and combined for a block to push NAU in front, 17-15, but the set remained up in the air until freshman
Heaven Harris took control late. Her kill made it a 23-21 NAU lead, and she finished off the set with another to put the 'Jacks within a set of the sweep.
Donnelly, who twice before had two aces in a match, set a new career-high in the third set alone as she doubled her previous best in the final stanza. Her first of four third-set aces capped a 5-0 run that snapped a 4-4 tie, and NAU never trailed from there. Valparaiso did manage to close to 13-11, but four straight NAU points extended its lead and another 5-0 run late – with the last three of Donnelly's aces coming in that surge – prevented any sort of comeback by the Crusaders.
Lema and Jorgenson each tallied 11 kills as they were the only two players on either team with double-digits in a match featuring its fair share of long rallies. Valparaiso recorded 78 aces while NAU had 70 in just three sets. Donnelly posted a team-high 20, while Jorgenson notched 17 digs to record her fourth consecutive double-double. Senior
Dani Westfall also notched a season-best 13 digs.
As a result of Valparaiso's relentless backrow play, NAU hit only .237 with sophomore
Abby Stomp totaling 33 assists. Still, sophomore
Abby Akin, Ewalefo and Harris all chipped in at least six kills and each hit .333 or better.
Saturday will be doubleheader action for the Lumberjacks as they first play CSU Bakersfield at 11 a.m. Arizona time. NAU will conclude the weekend with South Dakota State on its home court at 4 p.m. Both matches can be streamed online
here.
