Kaylie Jorgenson
3
Winner Arizona State ASU 6-2
1
Northern Arizona NAU 3-5
Winner
Arizona State ASU
6-2
3
Final
1
Northern Arizona NAU
3-5
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Arizona State ASU 17 25 25 25 (3)
Northern Arizona NAU 25 13 14 18 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Volleyball Hangs With Arizona State in Front of Second Largest Crowd

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Rolle Activity Center was rockin' for the Northern Arizona volleyball team Friday night, but the second-largest crowd in school history was not quite enough to help propel the Lumberjacks to victory. Arizona State withstood the 1,190 fans in attendance to defeat NAU, 17-25, 25-13, 25-14, 25-18 and spoil an electric evening.
 
"I thought we played really hard and we matched their level really well," said head coach Ken Murphy. "The things that went their way are things that we'll grow out of as we mature as a group. I was impressed that our best plays worked as well as they did and that we matched them physically as well as we did. We're a young team and we're working out kinks and the difference tonight was those little things."
 
The only Rolle Activity Center attendance larger than Friday night's Lumberjack Classic in-state rivalry match was the 1,423 who piled in to watch NAU clinch the 2015 Big Sky Tournament.
 
"Our team was having fun with it and the crowd was so loud and that helped us enjoy the moments we were really playing well," Murphy said. "We think it's something we can build on because we have a program that is deserving of crowds like this. We hope that we entertain them and put on a good match for them."
 
The electricity was definitely palpable and it fueled the Lumberjacks (3-5 record) from the onset. With the help of four Sun Devil errors, NAU rushed out to a 5-1 advantage. The lead grew to 10-4 off two kills from redshirt sophomore Ohiyah Shirley and the Lumberjacks were off for the races. Their lead was never really in question with the exception of 18-15, but NAU responded with three consecutive points to double its lead and picked up the early advantage.
 
Behind strong performances from sophomore Abby Akin and freshman Heaven Harris, both of whom had four kills each in the opening set, NAU posted its best set by far in claiming the first. NAU hit .367 in the opener while limiting Arizona State to only .024. NAU also picked up three of its seven team blocks.
 
The visitors settled into a groove though and quickly turned the tide on the 'Jacks in the second set. They hit .395 and used a 4-0 run early to take a 7-4 lead and never looked back. The intermission did not cool the Sun Devils off as the third set mirrored the second, but the Lumberjacks had more than enough fight left in them.
 
Redshirt sophomore Victoria Ewalefo and redshirt freshman Kasie Gilfert combined for a block that brought NAU within one at 12-11 in the fourth set, only for Arizona State to rattle off four of the next five points. NAU was undeterred though and a Shirley kill and an ace by senior Brooke Donnelly forced an Arizona State timeout with its lead down to 16-14. However, three points out of the stoppage was enough to keep NAU at bay.
 
Redshirt junior Kaylie Jorgenson posted her sixth double-double of the season, leading the team with 10 kills along with 11 digs. The NAU middle blockers did work against Arizona State with Ewalefo and Akin both totaling eight kills and hitting .583 and .375 respectively, while combining for seven blocks. Akin also had two of NAU's three aces.
 
The Lumberjacks hit just .165 for the match with the Sun Devils attacking at a .252 clip. Arizona State held small advantages in blocks (9.0-7.0) and aces (4-3).
 
NAU concludes the Lumberjack Classic on Saturday at 12 p.m. versus CSU Bakersfield.
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