FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 25, 2019) – The Northern Arizona volleyball team officially announced their incoming freshman class of 2019 on Monday, introducing four new Lumberjacks for the upcoming fall season. Emma Bockholt (Austin, Texas), Taylor Jacobsen (Chandler, Ariz.), Neche Newton (Chandler, Ariz.) and Jasmine West (Temecula, Calif.) will all join the defending Big Sky Champions' roster for the 2019 season.
"This class allows us to keep moving forward; they're talented and they're athletic," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "They'll compete for spots right away and will help us continue to build on what we've established here."
Bockholt will head to Flagstaff from the Lone Star State where she split her prep career between Headwaters School and Austin High School. A 6-2 middle blocker, Bockholt was an honorable mention All-District pick in 2016 at Headwaters before transferring to Austin where she finished as a two-time Second Team All-District honoree in 2017 and 2018. Bockholt helped Austin to an undefeated record and district championship during her junior season.
Jacobsen, the younger sister of former Lumberjack all-conference player Lauren Jacobsen, is an accomplished four-year outside hitter from Hamilton High School. Standing at 6-1, Jacobsen finished sixth at the 6A level and 17th in the state with 413 kills as a senior in 2018. She averaged 3.5 kills per set on .236 hitting garnering her 6A Premier All-Region First Team honors as her Hamilton team advanced to the 6A state semifinals. Jacobsen also averaged 3.2 digs, 0.6 blocks and 0.4 aces per set in her return to the court after an injury sidelined her for the majority of her junior campaign.
Newton also hails from the Valley where she was a two-year starter for Chandler High School. Newton is a 5-11 middle blocker who was named a 6A Premier All-Region Honorable Mention selection at the conclusion of her senior season in 2018. As a junior, Newton was a force in the middle who notched 83 blocks at 1.0 per set. She also posted 120 kills during the 2017 season.
West, a 5-7 defensive specialist/libero, rounds out the Lumberjacks' incoming class out of Temecula Valley High School. This past season, West averaged 5.0 digs per set and guided her team to the 2018 Division I CIF Southern Regional Championship. A four-year libero at Temecula Valley, she was also a part of two Southwestern League championships in 2016 and 2017. West also was named to the All-Area Inland Empire Team as a senior and was named her school's Defensive Player of the Year twice.
"Every year more and more, when you talk to the high level recruits, they know who NAU is," Murphy said. "They know we're competing at a high level and there's more of an expectation that they're joining an elite program. There's no doubt that this class represents that expectation."
The four incoming freshmen will help the Lumberjacks replenish a roster that loses three graduating seniors in
Kaylie Jorgenson,
Brittni Dorsey and
Jordan Anderson. Each of NAU's three graduating seniors will depart with their names in NAU's all-time record book.
