BROOKINGS, S.D. – Everything the Northern Arizona volleyball team had working for them in the first set against CSU Bakersfield did not the rest of the match as the Lumberjacks fell 21-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-17, to the Roadrunners Saturday morning. NAU takes a 3-3 record into its final match of the Hampton Inn Jackrabbits Invitational versus South Dakota State at 4 p.m. this afternoon.
NAU hit .304 and totaled 5.0 team blocks in winning the first set, but wound up hitting only .127 overall and picking up only two more blocks the rest of the way. The Lumberjacks struggled to find the floor with their swings as they tallied just 41 kills. The Roadrunners recorded 91 digs and wound up with the slight edge in blocks, 8.0-7.0.
NAU trailed 15-12 midway through the first set, but responded out of a timeout with a 4-0 run spurred by a pair of blocks by redshirt sophomore
Victoria Ewalefo. The Roadrunners brought the set even at 19-19 before freshman
Heaven Harris provided the 'Jacks with a cushion with a pair of kills to give NAU a 22-19 advantage. Redshirt junior
Kaylie Jorgenson finished the opener with half of her six first set kills for the final three points.
CSU Bakersfield, despite only hitting .204 for the match itself, dominated the final three sets. The Lumberjacks opened the second set with a 4-0 run, but the Roadrunners fought off the early deficit and ran away with the second set with a late flurry holding the 'Jacks to just a .027 hitting percentage in the process.
CSU Bakersfield's 6-0 run to finish the second set carried into the third with NAU finding itself in a big 10-5 hole and could never recover as it once again was held to a sub-.100 attack clip.
Jorgenson did her best to carry the 'Jacks with three early kills to help NAU to a 5-4 advantage. CSU Bakersfield claimed the next six points though and never looked back. The 'Jacks never got closer than five points throughout the remainder of the fourth set and would up taking their first loss of the South Dakota State hosted tourney.
Jorgenson (13 kills, 11 digs), sophomore
Sydney Lema (10 kills, 19 digs) and sophomore
Abby Stomp (32 assists, 13 digs) all recorded double-doubles. Sophomore
Abby Akin led the team with four blocks, including two of the solo variety.
One match after posting 11 in its sweep of Valparaiso, NAU managed only a single ace against CSU Bakersfield.
The Lumberjacks look to turn the page and take down the host South Dakota State when the two teams close the Hampton Inn Jackrabbits Invitational at 4 p.m.
