POCATELLO, Idaho (October 31, 2019) – The Northern Arizona volleyball team received a pair of standout performances from freshmen
Taylor Jacobsen and
Lillian Thomas in a grinding 28-26, 25-18, 22-25, 25-21 victory over Idaho State Thursday night in Reed Gym. The victory was NAU's fourth straight, including three consecutive on the road, as the Lumberjacks upped their record to 14-9 overall and 7-4 in league play.
"We didn't pass or dig very accurately and that didn't allow us to take many good swings," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "But to our team's credit, they fought and played defense. There were a lot of long rallies and it was a long, exhausting match."
With Idaho State forcing NAU to earn every point, the Lumberjacks fought through a defensive-dominated match with Thomas at the forefront. In her collegiate debut, Thomas tied the third-highest single-match total in program history with 37 digs. Her total was the most by a Lumberjack since 2008 and she joined Brittany Stowers and NAU Hall of Famer Ruth Parsons as the only players in program history to post that many digs in a match.
"She was really steady and she played her position really responsibly like we do in practice," Murphy said. "She did the things we ask our libero to do and she also did a good job on second balls to give our hitters opportunities. You couldn't tell it was her first match because she played like she's played dozens of them."
Thomas' performance headlined a strong defensive effort by the 'Jacks as the team totaled 115 digs – the second-most in a four-set match in program history. Jacobsen and senior
Sydney Lema both recorded 26 digs and both of NAU's setters narrowly missed double-doubles. Sophomore
Aubrea Bandfield finished with 24 assists and nine digs, while senior
Abby Stomp posted 26 assists and seven digs.
When NAU was able to play in system, Jacobsen often terminated the ball on her way to a match-high 18 kills. She put away five kills in the clinching fourth set and wound up with her 11th double-double of the season on the heels of her highest kills and digs totals thus far.
"She got a little flat in the second set, but her last two sets were really strong," Murphy said. "When we were able to set the tempos we wanted to, she was killing the ball at a really high rate. Even when we were a little out of control, she did a really good job of keeping pressure and she's learning more about her game every match."
Bandfield sparked NAU to a 7-2 match-opening run with two of her three aces on the night, although Idaho State eventually tied the first set at 12-12. NAU gained some separation and led 21-15, only for Idaho State to once again close the gap to 22-20. The Lumberjacks reached set point at 24-22, but were unable to close as they needed four set points to finish off the Bengals.
Senior
Abby Akin and sophomore
Ryann Davis led the 'Jacks with four kills each in the first set. The duo each finished the match with 14 kills. Akin hit .480 and also paced the Lumberjacks with four blocks, moving her into sole possession of second all-time in NAU history. Davis' 14 kills marked a new season-best and she hit .275.
After NAU scored the first three points of the second set, Idaho State responded with a 5-0 run to take a 7-5 lead. The Bengal advantage stood at 12-8 before the Lumberjacks surged ahead with a 9-0 flurry. Jacobsen tallied three kills during the run and Davis added two kills, although Idaho State cut the deficit to 17-15. NAU immediately answered with six straight points though and closed the set on an 8-2 run.
The Bengals refused to go quietly, battling through eight ties and three lead changes to extend the match to four sets. After Akin tied the third set at 15-15 with a kill, the Bengals used a modest 3-0 run to move ahead for good. NAU had an opportunity to bring the score even once more at 21-21, but an overturned call gave Idaho State a 22-20 edge that the Bengals held on to.
The 'Jacks methodically pulled away in the fourth set following a 9-9 tie and a late 4-0 spurt proved to be the difference. Kills by Davis, Jacobsen and redshirt freshman
Morgan Gappmayer, along with Bandfield's third ace, pushed NAU's lead out to 23-16. Idaho State managed to hold off two NAU match points before a Bengal attack error ended the evening.
Idaho State outblocked NAU, 8.0-4.0, but the Lumberjacks notched 10 more kills and committed two fewer errors than the Bengals. NAU hit .208 on the night while Idaho State hit .148.
NAU will face Weber State on Saturday in Ogden, Utah at 6 p.m. MST. The Wildcats' five-match winning streak is the only longer streak than the Lumberjacks' current four-match run.
