NAU Volleyball Travels to Portland State and Sacramento State

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 2, 2019) – The Northern Arizona volleyball team heads out on the road for the first time in conference play this week with matches at Portland State at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Sacramento State at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Following grueling four-set wins over Weber State and Idaho State last week at home, NAU emerged from the opening weekend of Big Sky action as one of three undefeated teams. The Lumberjacks, 9-5 overall, joined Northern Colorado and Idaho to go 2-0 in conference play last weekend.

"Portland State is playing well and they have a couple of terminal hitters and they play good defense," said head coach Ken Murphy. "Sacramento State has been a contender the last few years and they look to be just as good this year. This is a challenging road trip and we're going to have to stay focused."

Although NAU is 5-0 at home, the Lumberjacks are 4-5 away from Flagstaff this season in true road and neutral-site matches. Last season, NAU was 7-2 on the road in conference play.

Senior Abby Akin garnered Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season on Monday after averaging 2.25 blocks per set versus Weber State and Idaho State. Akin ranks second in the Big Sky and fourth in the country with 1.57 blocks per set overall. She tallied her second double-digit block match last Thursday versus Weber State, recording a career-high 13 blocks. Prior to this season, Akin only had two career matches with 10 or more blocks with both coming in her freshman season.

Akin has also continued to do damage offensively, hitting a Big Sky leading .412, which puts her 24th nationally. She is averaging 2.49 kills per set, which places her only behind junior Heaven Harris' 3.10 per set on the team.

True freshmen Taylor Jacobsen (2.25 kills per set, 3.17 digs per set) and Jasmine West (4.46 digs per set) have been critical to NAU's success thus far this season. Jacobsen is third on the team in both kills and digs, while West ranks third in the conference in digs. In last Saturday's win over Idaho State, the 'Jacks had a total of four freshmen in the rotation with freshman Neche Newton and redshirt freshman Morgan Gappmayer being added to the mix in the last two weeks.

Newton has started the last three matches and overall is averaging 1.00 blocks per set. Newton tallied 11 blocks versus Liberty on Sept. 21. Gappmayer was inserted into the lineup last Saturday and contributed eight kills and two blocks in her first extended run of her career.

"We're so excited about the depth that we have on this team and the quality of players we have all the way through the roster," Murphy said. "The last couple of weeks we've been able to take advantage of that and gain some experience. I've been so impressed with all four of their growth in terms of getting into a match, keeping their composure and doing what they do in practice. On the road there'll be a few more challenges, but I'm excited to see their progression throughout the weekend."

The Lumberjacks rank in the top four in the Big Sky in every statistical category. NAU is first in hitting percentage as a team at .243 and second in opponent hitting percentage at .173. The Lumberjacks have held their opponents under .200 hitting in three straight matches and eight matches overall. In the last three matches, NAU is averaging 3.31 blocks per set.

Portland State and Sacramento State both split their first two conference matches last week on the road. Both teams fell to Idaho and notched wins versus Eastern Washington. The Vikings were swept by Idaho, but responded by sweeping Eastern Washington. The Hornets opened with a four-set win over Eastern Washington and then fell in five sets to Idaho despite leading 2-1 in the match.

Portland State carries a 5-8 overall record and has proven to be a strong defensive team thus far. The Vikings are fourth in the Big Sky in opponent hitting percentage (.196) and are second in digs (15.92 per set).

Sacramento State is 6-9 overall and are 3-2 over its last five matches. Like the Vikings, the Hornets are a top five statistical team in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.196) and digs (15.42 per set).

Thursday's match will be available on Pluto TV Channel 532 and Saturday's match will be streamed on Channel 533. Pluto TV is available via their free mobile app and online at this link.