FARMINGTON, Utah (November 18, 2019) – Northern Arizona volleyball junior
Heaven Harris dropped the hammer and brought the power in NAU's two road victories against Montana and Montana State last week, posting performances that earned her Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday.
Harris picked up her first Player of the Week award of the season and fourth of her career. This is the second time in her career that she was named the league's weekly offensive honor.
Harris averaged 3.90 kills per set and hit .333 in the Lumberjacks' 3-2 victories at Montana and Montana State last week. She tied her previous career-high of 19 kills versus the Grizzlies on Thursday before setting a new career-high with 20 kills two nights later versus the Bobcats. The kill totals are the two-highest by any Lumberjack this season.
The opposite hitter from Phoenix posted her two best matches since returning from an injury that sidelined her for 11 matches. After totaling 19 kills on .311 hitting versus Montana, Harris torched Montana State from the opening set on Saturday.
Seven of Harris' 20 kills came in the first set as she did not commit an error on nine swings in the opening game. As strong as she started out, Harris' last three kills proved to be crucial. With NAU trailing 12-11 in the fifth set, Harris tied the match at 12 with a kill before killing the Lumberjacks' next two points to knot the set up at 13-13 and 14-14. Her career-best 20th kill held off Montana State's only match point of the night at 14-13 before NAU prevailed 17-15 in the final set.
Harris hit .357 versus Montana State, while becoming the first Lumberjack to record 20 kills in a match since
Kaylie Jorgenson did so versus Utah Valley on Aug. 25, 2018.
Harris is ninth in the Big Sky with 3.11 kills per set and her .316 hitting percentage ranks sixth in the league. Since Harris returned to the lineup, NAU has won its last four matches heading into Thursday's tilt versus Eastern Washington at 6:30 p.m. in the Rolle Activity Center.
