FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (December 11, 2019) – With a decorated senior class on its way out, the Northern Arizona volleyball team will bring in five incoming freshmen in 2020 in an announcement by head coach
Ken Murphy on Wednesday. The Lumberjacks will welcome in a pair of in-state prep products from the Valley and another three from the state of Colorado coming off a 21-11 season this fall.
"We're really excited about this class and they check all of our boxes," Murphy said. "They're athletic, they have size and they're really skilled. But they also fit into the ideals of our culture perfectly. They're all really good teammates and good students and they're going to fit our program perfectly from day one."
Making the move north on the I-17 to Flagstaff are Savannah Bloom (Queen Creek, Ariz./Queen Creek High School) and Kate Hatch (Mesa, Ariz./Mesa High School). Hailing from Colorado, Jordan Elder (Dolores, Colo./Dolores High School), Lyla Hollis (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy High School) and Millie O'Ketter (Durango, Colo./Durango High School) rounds out NAU's 2020 class.
The five incoming freshmen will aim to offset the losses of
Abby Akin,
Sydney Lema and
Abby Stomp, who combined to play in 338 matches, with 327 starts, and 1,261 sets over their four-year careers. Akin departs as the Big Sky's all-time leading hitter and ranked second in blocks among her numerous career rankings. Meanwhile, Lema and Stomp finished their careers third in digs and seventh in assists respectively in program history.
"This class reminds me a lot of the class that we're losing," Murphy said. "They're great players and great people and they will fill the slots of our seniors really well. The well-roundedness of this class provides us with depth and competitive spots across all positions right away."
Bloom, standing at 6-0, is one of two middle blockers in the class and was named to the 6A Central All-Region Second Team following her senior season. As a senior at Queen Creek High School, Bloom averaged 3.0 kills per set and hit .234 while also averaging 0.6 blocks per set. She totaled 593 kills and 209 blocks in four seasons and as a sophomore, she led her section with a .422 hitting percentage while helping her team reach the 5A state championship match.
Hatch, the 6A East Valley Region Player of the Year, comes to NAU after averaging 6.9 assists and 2.6 digs per set in her final season at Mesa High School. The 6-0 setter tallied 841 assists, 317 digs, 237 kills, 71 aces and 83 blocks as a senior, which earned her 6A All-Conference First Team honors for the second consecutive year. The three-time All-Region First Team selection and AVCA All-Region 9 honoree amassed over 3,000 assists and 1,100 digs at Mesa High School and helped her team win their region three consecutive years.
Elder, a 6-3 middle blocker out of Dolores High School, averaged 4.3 kills per set and hit a whopping .425 as a senior, which garnered her 2A All-State Second Team honors. Elder also averaged 1.0 blocks and 0.7 aces per set in her senior season helping her team qualify for the state tournament for the second time in four years. Her team won three straight league championships and Elder, who averaged 3.5 kills per set on .329 hitting throughout her four seasons, was named Player of the Year in her league in both 2018 and 2019. She was also a three-time all-conference athlete in track.
Hollis was a 4A All-State Honorable Mention pick as a junior after averaging 3.4 kills and 2.6 digs per set at Air Academy High School. Before suffering an injury that kept her out for most of her senior season, Hollis was averaging 3.1 kills per set on .288 hitting. Hollis, a 6-0 outside hitter, also earned all-conference honorable mention honors in her career and was part of four regional qualifying teams. She compiled 535 kills at a 2.6 per set average over four seasons and over 100 aces while also qualifying for the state tournament in tennis as a freshman.
O'Ketter split time at outside hitter and libero at Durango High School, but will be a back row player for the Lumberjacks. As a senior, the 5-6 O'Ketter averaged 3.4 kills and 4.0 digs per set, which ranked 12th and fifth respectively among Colorado 4A outside hitters. She earned First Team All-Conference honors for the second straight year and garnered Conference Player of the Year distinction in addition to a spot 4A All-State Honorable Mention list. O'Ketter totaled 836 digs and 418 kills in three years.
