FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 11, 2018) – In what will hopefully be the first of two trips to Greeley, Colo., the Northern Arizona volleyball team will face Northern Colorado on Saturday at 6 p.m. MST in its lone match of the weekend. The Bears will be the host of this year's Big Sky Championship at the end of November.
The Lumberjacks will play just one match this weekend after a stretch of three matches in five days culminating in NAU's road victory at Southern Utah on Monday. NAU has won its last three matches and five of its last six since falling to Idaho State on Sept. 20. As a result, the 'Jacks are 5-2 in conference play and 13-7 overall. The Lumberjacks' 13 victories already match their total from a season ago.
"UNC is a good team and they have played a tough schedule, so they're used to playing at a high level," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "They're well-coached and we have a lot of respect for them. We feel like we're starting to really develop our identity as the season goes on. We have some really good offensive pieces and our defense is becoming a part of our identity more and more, and our toughness to deal with the challenges that every individual match presents is growing."
NAU is currently one of the country's top statistical teams, starting with the Lumberjacks NCAA-leading total of 1,440 digs as of Oct. 11. In addition, NAU ranks 12th in total assists (964), 14th in total kills (1,022) and 23rd in total blocks (183.0). The Lumberjacks are also top 50 in both opponent hitting percentage (.167; 37th) and hitting percentage (.245; 50th) while ranking 12th with 18.00 digs per set.
Freshman
Ryann Davis recorded a team-best 13 kills in NAU's four-set victory over Southern Utah on Monday, for her fourth double-digit kill performance against conference foes. Davis, who ranks fifth with a .355 hitting percentage in league play, has registered at least eight kills in all seven conference matches.
Redshirt senior
Kaylie Jorgenson and junior
Abby Stomp were also among the many standouts on Monday as both recorded double-doubles versus the Thunderbirds. Jorgenson leads NAU in kills with 3.04 per set, while Stomp paces the 'Jacks with 5.61 assists per set. Stomp also moved into the top 10 all-time in program history on Monday in career assists. Entering Saturday's match, Stomp is No. 10 all-time with 1,408 career assists.
Junior
Abby Akin is leading the Big Sky's most effective offense in league play with a conference-best .423 hitting percentage. The Lumberjacks are leading the Big Sky with a .264 hitting percentage in conference matches.
Of note, Saturday's match will mark the 100th of redshirt senior
Brittni Dorsey's career.
Saturday's match will be available on Pluto TV Channel 241
online and on the free Pluto TV app.
About Northern Colorado:
Record: 7-8, 3-3 Big Sky
2018 Preseason Big Sky Poll: Sixth
All-Time Series: UNC, 16-9
Last Meeting: UNC, 3-2 (Sept. 21, 2017)
