FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 26, 2019) – It may have only been the first of 18 conference matches, but Thursday night's showdown in the Rolle Activity Center sure had a November feel to it. In a heavy defensive slugfest, the Northern Arizona volleyball team outlasted Weber State, 25-17, 25-18, 17-25, 25-21, to improve to 8-5 overall and 1-0 in Big Sky action.
"Tonight was a credit to this team's dedication," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "We got really flat in the fourth set and we took a timeout, got a breather and refocused. After that we outscored them (10-3) and all the credit goes to this group."
The matchup between the Big Sky's preseason top two teams and the two best statistical teams through the first four weeks lived up to the billing. Weber State forced NAU into a season-high 25 attack errors resulting in only a .155 hitting percentage and totaled an opponent-best 11.5 blocks, but NAU countered with an even stiffer defensive effort. The 'Jacks held the Wildcats to only a .116 clip behind 16.0 blocks.
Senior
Abby Akin registered the best blocking performance by a Lumberjack in almost three decades, as she tied the third-best single match total in program history with a career-high 13 blocks. She is one of five players in program history to record at least 13 blocks in a match – the first since 1991 – and Akin also set a new Rolle Activity Center record for blocks in a four-set match.
In the backrow, senior
Sydney Lema set a new career-high herself with 25 digs. Freshman
Jasmine West added 24 digs as NAU had two players with 20 or more digs in a match for the first time this season. Freshman
Taylor Jacobsen also posted her best defensive effort with season-highs of 17 digs and five blocks.
"(Weber State) raised their level defensively after the first two sets and that's the best defensive team we've played this year," Murphy said. "They made us reconfigure between the third and fourth sets and we had to work through stretches when they played so well."
The critical stretch came in the fourth set with NAU trailing 18-15. The Lumberjacks claimed the first two sets, but dropped the third and appeared to be on the verge of being pushed to a winner-take-all fifth set when Murphy whistled for a timeout. Out of the timeout, sophomore
Ryann Davis and Lema followed an NAU block with kills to tie the score at 18-18.
Lema and Akin combined for a block after a Weber State timeout to move NAU ahead 19-18 before the Wildcats slid in front yet again at 20-19. Down 21-20, the Lumberjacks closed the match with five straight points – the last two coming off kills from Lema – to capture their Big Sky opening victory.
"We've been stressing bouncing back after losing a couple of points and not letting it continue," Lema said. "In the past, that's been a struggle for us. We were locked in and kept our focus point to point to finish the win."
The 'Jacks took care of business in the first two sets, using late runs to pull away from the Wildcats. Despite holding leads of 8-2 and 12-5 in the first set, NAU found itself tied at 15-15 before Jacobsen spurred a decisive 8-1 run with a pair of kills and an ace. The run put Weber State in a 23-16 hole and Lema wrapped up the set with a pair of kills.
NAU's most effective offensive set was the second as the Lumberjacks hit .277. On the flip side, the 'Jacks posted six of their team blocks with Akin having her hand in all six. Three of Akin's six blocks in the game came during a 5-0 run that snapped a 7-7 tie and the Lumberjacks never trailed again although they saw a 19-11 lead evaporate to 19-16.
Weber State erased an early 3-0 deficit in the third set and took control late to force a fourth game. The Wildcats move ahead for good with a pair of points at 16-14, but a 5-0 surge to increase their advantage to 23-16 prevented the Lumberjacks from posting their fourth straight home sweep.
Although NAU's 6-0 fourth set start was turned around in Weber State's favor at 18-15, the Lumberjacks' final knockout blow was enough to secure their 12th straight win in the Rolle Activity Center which ties the second-longest home winning streak in program history.
Junior
Heaven Harris finished with a match-high 15 kills and despite the Wildcats' defensive tenacity, the Lumberjacks still managed balanced production with Akin, Lema, Jacobsen and Davis all registering at least eight kills.
"Tonight was important for us as we start conference," Lema said. "We played a consistent match and we want to carry that over. Weber State played really well and their defense is amazing. But we're a defensive team too and I'm happy we pulled it out."
Next up, the Lumberjacks host Idaho State – who swept Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah Thursday night – on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Rolle Activity Center.
