FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 12, 2019) – After securing their spot in the conference tournament, the Northern Arizona volleyball team travels to Montana and Montana State this Thursday and Saturday on their final road trip of the regular season with momentum on their side. Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. first serve.
As one of three teams who have already clinched a berth in the Big Sky Championship to be hosted by Sacramento State from Nov. 28-30, the Lumberjacks will use their last four matches to solidify their seeding and to continue to build on the momentum they've gained over the last few weeks. NAU's recent surge having won six of its last seven matches including sweeps of Sacramento State and Portland State last week at home has pushed the 'Jacks into a tie with Weber State for second in the conference standings. The Lumberjacks are 16-10 overall and 9-5 in conference play.
"The last weeks, we've really improved and over the course of the year, we've been searching for the things we've been able to do the last couple of weeks," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "We're getting more consistent and learning more about what we need to do to play our best every night. We want to continue on that path, getting better and gaining a better understanding of who we are going into the conference tournament."
The Lumberjacks put together possibly their best weekend of conference last week, hitting a combined .262 with Sacramento State and Portland State combining to hit .037. NAU also averaged 3.00 aces and 2.50 blocks per set. Senior
Sydney Lema averaged a team-leading 3.00 kills and 4.67 digs per set, while freshman
Taylor Jacobsen and senior
Abby Akin averaged 2.83 and 2.50 kills per set respectively in the two wins last week.
NAU was also boosted by the return of junior
Heaven Harris, who returned to the Lumberjacks' lineup after missing the previous 11 matches. Harris leads the Lumberjacks with 2.96 kills per set and is hitting .312 this season. Harris is one of four Lumberjack attackers in the rotation who average more than 2.00 kills per set along with Akin, Jacobsen and sophomore
Ryann Davis.
"You can tell that our team knows they are capable of great things," Murphy said. "Our team definitely believes in themselves and the things that we're doing and it comes down to being ready to play every day. I need to keep doing a better job of bringing that out of them and helping them discover that about themselves."
Akin and Lema continue to inch closer to career milestones. Akin is 10 blocks away from joining Payton Bock as the only two players in program history to record 500 career blocks, and she is primed to become NAU's all-time leader in sets played this weekend. Lema is just 23 digs away from moving into sole possession of third all-time in program history.
NAU suffered its only home loss of the season to Montana State on Oct. 10 in five sets and then rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Montana two days later. The Lumberjacks' conference record was 3-3 following their home split with the Bobcats and Grizzlies, but they have gone 6-2 since.
Montana has been playing better volleyball as of late, winning three of its last five matches to move within a game of the eighth and final potential spot in the conference tournament. The Grizzlies (5-20, 4-10 Big sky) pulled off an impressive five-set win over Idaho before dropping a five-setter to Eastern Washington on the road. Montana is ninth in the league with a .158 hitting percentage and 11th with a .248 opponent hitting percentage. The Grizzlies are fifth in the conference with 2.16 blocks per set.
Montana State swept its road trip of Eastern Washington, 3-1, and Idaho, 3-0, last week to improve to 12-11 overall and 8-6 in conference play. The Bobcats are one of three teams tied for fourth in the league entering the last two weeks of the season. The Bobcats are sixth in hitting in the Big Sky attacking at a .203 clip, while they are third in opponent hitting percentage at .188. They are third in both kills and blocks at 12.50 per set and 2.39 per set respectively.
This weekend's matches will be available on Pluto TV Channel 537 and 538 on Thursday and Saturday respectively online at this
link and on the free Pluto TV app.
About Montana:
Record: 5-20, 4-10 Big Sky
Big Sky Standings: Tied for Ninth
All-Time Series: NAU, 34-33
Last Meeting: NAU, 3-2 (Oct. 12, 2019)
About Montana State:
Record: 12-11, 8-6 Big Sky
Big Sky Standings: Tied for Fourth
All-Time Series: NAU, 41-24
Last Meeting: MSU, 3-2 (Oct. 10, 2019)
