CEDAR CITY, Utah (October 21, 2019) – It took a set for the Northern Arizona volleyball team to get going on a rare Monday night, but the Lumberjacks regained their footing and swung their way past Southern Utah in the America First Event Center. NAU attacked at a .325 clip after a first set loss to defeat Southern Utah, 13-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-23 to complete its three-match road trip.
"We've been talking a lot about keeping our composure through the highs and the lows of a match and play NAU Volleyball," said head coach
Ken Murphy, who tied the program record with his 143rd win at NAU. "That's not always easy when you're on the road and you lose a first set like we lost tonight, but I give our team all the credit in the world. They were so tough and we started to look like ourselves."
In a key Monday night rivalry match, Southern Utah struck first and in a big way, hitting .478 and totaling five blocks in a wire-to-wire first set. The Thunderbirds scored the first three points of the match on their way to a commanding 9-2 lead. Although the 'Jacks cut their deficit to 12-8 with a 4-0 run, capped by an ace from senior
Abby Akin, the Thunderbirds immediately got the four points back and never let up.
NAU (12-9, 5-4 Big Sky) hit only .071 in the first set and committed eight attack errors, but the Lumberjacks did not let the opening stanza define them. Instead, the Lumberjacks committed just six attack errors the rest of the way and found their offensive flow with senior
Abby Stomp (28 assists) and sophomore
Aubrea Bandfield (20 assists) distributing the offense.
Senior
Sydney Lema was stellar, tying a career-high with 16 kills – matching her best total set over two years ago – to lead the Lumberjacks. She added 16 digs to record her second straight double-double, and sixth of the season.
"Every swing Sydney took tonight was a quality one," Murphy said. "She's leading the way in terms of staying in her process and being the player she is in practice. She's really developed her game and this is the type of match she can have if she sticks to what she did tonight with good consistency."
The Lumberjacks responded in the second set and used a 6-0 run with freshman
Taylor Jacobsen at the service line to seize control. Three Southern Utah attack errors aided the run that put NAU ahead 12-7. By the time Jacobsen put down another kill at 18-11 – forcing a Southern Utah timeout – NAU completed 12-4 run that flipped what was a 7-6 deficit in its favor.
Consecutive kills by Lema and sophomore
Ryann Davis broke an 8-8 tie and proved to be crucial as it provided NAU with just enough cushion in a tightly-contested third set. It was enough for the 'Jacks to move ahead and not trail again with the Blue & Gold maintaining an advantage all the way until Lema clinched the game with a kill on NAU's third set point.
The Thunderbirds led up until the midway point of the fourth set before Lema tied it up at 15-15, erasing what was a 14-10 Southern Utah advantage. Three straight NAU points put the Lumberjacks in front, 19-17, only for Southern Utah to even the scoreboard at 20-20. The two teams traded the next four points until a Thunderbird miscue gave the 'Jacks sideout at 23-22.
One point later, Lema's career-high tying 16th kill put the 'Jacks at match point, and Akin sealed up NAU's second consecutive win on the ensuing serve. Lema and Akin each tallied six kills in the clinching fourth set with Akin going a perfect 6-for-6 to complete a 13-kill evening on .545 hitting.
Jacobsen, who totaled four kills in the fourth set herself, finished with 11 kills to go along with 13 digs in her 10th double-double effort of the season. Freshman
Jasmine West led the team with 23 digs.
"In terms of keeping consistent and doing what we want to do both on offense and defense (after the first set), that was probably the best we've been all year," Murphy said. "That's something we can build on."
NAU wound up hitting .279 for the match, edging out Southern Utah's .271 mark.
The Lumberjacks will face another quick turnaround, but will have the luxury of playing at home, on Thursday when they host Northern Colorado at 6:30 p.m. in the Rolle Activity Center. The Bears are the lone remaining undefeated team in league play, sitting in first place with a perfect 8-0 conference record.
