NAU Volleyball Hosts Unbeaten Northern Colorado on Thursday

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 22, 2019) – After a lengthy road trip, the Northern Arizona volleyball team returns to Flagstaff, fittingly to open up Homecoming Weekend on the NAU campus, to host first-place Northern Colorado at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Rolle Activity Center. The Lumberjacks' stay at home will be brief though as they will be right back on the road next week to end a stretch of five of six matches away from Flagstaff.

"No team is hotter than UNC right now," said head coach Ken Murphy, who with a win on Thursday will become NAU's all-time winningest coach. "They're playing great volleyball and for us it will be a good test. We'll be comfortable at home and all we can do is be the best us we can be and see how that measures up on Thursday."

Murphy is currently tied with Kelley Sliva at 143 victories at the helm of the 'Jacks. Sliva coached the Lumberjacks from 1993-2001.

NAU navigated through its just-completed three-match road trip and came away with two victories against Eastern Washington and Southern Utah. The Lumberjacks successfully bounced back from a loss to Idaho last Thursday to pick up consecutive road wins for the first time this season. Now at 5-4 in league play and 12-9 overall, the 'Jacks remain squarely in the middle of the Big Sky standings in fifth place. NAU is one of eight teams within three games of each other jockeying for position as high as second behind unbeaten Northern Colorado.

While NAU will be taking on the league's top offensive team on Thursday, the Lumberjacks' own attack is trending up after hitting .285 and .279 respectively in their four-set victories over Eastern Washington and Southern Utah. The two attack percentages were the team's best since they hit .320 against Fresno State on Sept. 14. The Lumberjacks' offensive resurgence on their recent road trip pushed their hitting percentage in league play to .204. NAU ranks second overall in hitting percentage at .233 while ranking third in opponent hitting percentage at .188.

Senior Sydney Lema and freshman Taylor Jacobsen both averaged 3.25 kills per set, while senior Abby Akin averaged 3.12 per set in the two victories. Along with sophomore Ryann Davis, who averaged 2.50 kills per set in the most recent matches, all four players totaled 20 or more kills in the last two matches. complemented the attack with 2.50 kills per set.

While Akin is averaging a team-high 3.05 kills per set in conference action, she is also just two blocks away from moving into second all-time in program history in career blocks. Currently at 472 for her career, Akin is poised to move past Lisa Wylie's 473 on Thursday.

In the back row, freshman Jasmine West returned to the Lumberjacks' lineup at libero on Saturday versus Eastern Washington and in her two matches since, she's averaged 6.12 digs per set. For the season, West is averaging 4.73 digs per set, which is good for third in the conference.

Northern Colorado is the only remaining undefeated team in conference play at 8-0 and the Bears are 14-6 overall. Five of Northern Colorado's eight conference victories have been 3-0 sweeps. The Bears defeated Sacramento State, 3-1, last Thursday before proceeding to sweep Portland State, 3-0.

Statistically, Northern Colorado has been the Big Sky's top team since the start of league play. The Bears are hitting .259 while limiting opponents to a .151 clip in conference matches. In addition, Northern Colorado is leading the league in kills (14.96 per set) and aces (1.78 per set) in Big Sky play.

Thursday's match will be streamed on Pluto TV Channel 539 on their free mobile app and online at this link. Live stats will be available at this link.