MATCH NOTES (PDF)
TICKETS
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 28, 2018) – For the third time in program history, the Northern Arizona volleyball team will compete in the NCAA Tournament and their run in the Big Dance begins Friday in the first round against the No. 16 national seed Washington State. The Lumberjacks and Cougars will meet at 8 p.m. MST on the Cougars' home court in Bohler Gym. The NAU-Washington State winner will face the winner of Colorado State and Tennessee in the second round on Saturday at 7 p.m. MST.
The Lumberjacks are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and is looking for their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. NAU was swept by North Carolina in 1999 and San Diego in 2015 in its two previous trips to the Big Dance.
"Our team is playing our best volleyball at the right time of year and we're still getting better," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "We're still focused on winning sets, winning matches. This weekend, we know we're facing a tough opponent in a tough environment, but we've worked really hard to put ourselves in a position to be successful in a situation like this. This is the toughest challenge we've had, but this team wants this challenge. They're ready for it."
Friday and Saturday's first and second round matches will be available via Washington State's live stream at this
link. For fans in Flagstaff, NAU Athletics will be hosting a watch party of NAU's Friday match at Buffalo Wild Wings, located at 2700 S Woodlands Village Blvd #550.
The 'Jacks take a 13-match win streak – tied for the ninth-longest active win streak in the country – with them to Pullman, Wash. NAU is 26-8 overall and earned its invitation to the NCAA Tournament by sweeping through the Big Sky conference tournament last weekend.
Sophomore
Heaven Harris, the tournament MVP, led the Lumberjacks to their third conference tournament title and second in four years with a team-best 3.56 kills per set in straight set wins over Montana State, Idaho State and Idaho. Redshirt senior
Kaylie Jorgenson and junior
Abby Akin were also named to the Big Sky Championship All-Tournament Team. Jorgenson came up huge in the tournament finale, recording a double-double of 15 kills and 16 digs. Jorgenson leads the team with 3.09 kills per set, while Akin ranks 12th nationally with a .400 hitting percentage for the season.
Senior
Jordan Anderson also had a big weekend as she broke the single season digs school record on Friday versus Idaho State. She ranks 22nd in the country with 611 total digs and is averaging 4.77 per set to anchor NAU's back row. As a team, the Lumberjacks are fourth in the nation with 2,299 digs – a new single season school record as well – and 12th with 17.96 digs per set.
Washington State is tied with Tennessee for No. 19 in the country in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week. The Cougars are 21-9 overall and finished fourth in the Pac-12. This year marks Washington State's third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and the Cougars have advanced to the second round in each of the last two seasons.
Colorado State (23-7) earned the Mountain West's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the conference. Tennessee placed second in the SEC and carries a 25-5 record into the weekend. The two teams will play in Friday's first match at 5 p.m. MST.
About Washington State:
Record: 21-9, 12-8 Pac-12
2018 Pac-12 Finish: Fourth
All-Time Series: NAU, 1-0
Last Meeting: NAU, 3-1 (Sept. 27, 1980)
About Colorado State:
Record: 23-7, 15-3 Mountain West
2018 Mountain West Finish: First
All-Time Series: NAU, 6-3
Last Meeting: CSU, 3-1 (Sept. 3, 1994)
About Tennessee:
Record: 25-5, 16-2 SEC
2018 SEC Finish: Second
All-Time Series: NAU, 1-0
Last Meeting: NAU, 2-0 (Sept. 12, 1987)
