FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 25, 2018) – For their first conference road trip of the season, it will not get any tougher for the Northern Arizona volleyball team than matches against Portland State on Thursday and Sacramento State on Saturday. Both matches will get underway at 7 p.m.
"We have a lot of respect for both of these programs and we know we have our work cut out for us," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "We're hoping we can get healthy and get into a flow. We know our season has been up-and-down, but every player and coach is working hard to find consistency. We're looking forward to the challenges this weekend."
The Lumberjacks have had vastly different recent experiences in both Portland and Sacramento. The Lumberjacks have won their last four matches versus the Vikings in Portland, while the Hornets have won the last six meetings with the 'Jacks in Sacramento. Speaking of streaks on the line, NAU has won its last three Big Sky road openers.
NAU split its Big Sky opening weekend at home last week. After dropping a dramatic five-setter to Idaho State last Thursday, NAU rebounded to defeat Weber State – a team that bested NAU twice last season - in four sets on Saturday. Entering the week, the Lumberjacks are 9-6 overall and one of five teams with a 1-1 conference record.
Redshirt senior
Kaylie Jorgenson continued her career-best season defensively last weekend versus the Bengals and Wildcats, totaling 12 blocks and 33 digs. The reigning Big Sky Co-Defensive Player of the Week is averaging career-bests of 3.87 digs and 0.55 blocks per set, in addition to her team-leading 2.98 kills per set.
Freshman
Ryann Davis has turned into a legitimate offensive threat the last two weeks, as she leads the team with 2.65 kills per set over the last five matches. She has recorded double-digit kills in that stretch, including a high of 16 kills versus Idaho State. Riding her hot run, Davis has upped her season numbers to 1.82 kills per set and a hitting percentage of .231 hitting percentage.
NAU's depth was tested last week with juniors
Abby Akin and
Sydney Lema missing matches due to injuries. In their absence, sophomores
Danielle Hinz and
Olivia Turner earned their first career starts as Lumberjacks and rose to the occasion. Hinz ranks 10th in the Big Sky with 1.20 blocks per set in league play, while Turner averaged 3.56 digs per set last week.
"We feel like we have versatility in our starting group," Murphy said. "That was definitely tested last weekend and it will be tested again this weekend. We honestly like that challenge. It's good for our team to keep getting better and find ourselves. When we put new players on the court, we're not expecting them to carry the load, but to play the roles that we ask of them. That will be something we need to continue to improve on as the season goes on."
The 'Jacks remain one of the nation's leaders in team digs, ranking fourth as of Sept. 25 with 1,088 total digs. Furthermore, NAU ranks in the top 50 nationally in total kills, assists, aces and blocks.
This week's matches, as will every match moving forward the rest of the season, can be found on Pluto TV. Thursday's match will be streamed on Channel 232 and Saturday's match will be on Channel 233. Pluto TV is available
online in addition to their free mobile app.
About Portland State:
Record: 1-13, 0-2 Big Sky
2018 Preseason Big Sky Poll: Fourth
All-Time Series: NAU, 26-20
Last Meeting: PSU, 3-1 (Nov. 16, 2017)
About Sacramento State:
Record: 6-10, 1-1 Big Sky
2018 Preseason Big Sky Poll: Third
All-Time Series: SAC, 35-18
Last Meeting: NAU, 3-2 (Oct. 26, 2017)
