Lumberjacks Apply Pressure on Eastern Washington in 3-0 Home Sweep

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 14, 2021) – The Northern Arizona volleyball team loves playing at home, and Sunday night's Valentine's Day tilt was a perfect example. The Lumberjacks attacked efficiently and created havoc at the service line en route to a 25-16, 25-18, 25-20 sweep of Eastern Washington in their first home match in three weeks.
 
Sophomore Taylor Jacobsen, senior Heaven Harris and junior Ryann Davis all hit .300 or better with nine or more kills in a balanced offensive attack. Junior Aubrea Bandfield and freshman Kate Hatch combined for 35 assists, guiding NAU to a .272 hitting percentage on the night.
 
NAU's offense was a byproduct of its efforts at the service line, where the Lumberjacks totaled 11 service aces to just one by the Eagles. Hatch led the way with five aces, becoming the first player since Brooke Donnelly in 2017 to notch five aces in a three-set match. Fellow freshman Savannah Bloom also registered a season-best four ace serves.
 
"I feel like (Jacobsen, Harris and Davis) have so many tools that they can have success against anybody we play," said head coach Ken Murphy. "It's important that our setters get them the ball in situations where they can get in a rhythm as well. We passed really well so our setters had a lot of options, and today is pretty close to the blueprint of what we like in terms of the way we served, the way we passed and distributed."
 
With the win, NAU improved to 5-2 overall, while Eastern Washington dropped to 3-5 overall and 2-5 in league play.
 
Jacobsen had another sparkling performance, tallying a match-high 13 kills at a .476 attack clip. Harris and Davis each posted nine kills with the former hitting .353 and the latter hit .304. The three veteran Lumberjacks combined for more kills (31) than the Eagles had as an entire team (27).
 
The 'Jacks jumped on the Eagles right from the start with two Hatch aces and four Eastern Washington errors aiding an initial 9-2 advantage. The Eagles rattled off four straight points out of a timeout to climb back into the first game and they hung around until the Lumberjacks utilized a 6-1 run, featuring two Jacobsen kills and two Bloom aces, to pull away, 21-13.
 
NAU hit a blistering .500 in the first set to take the early 1-0 lead, but the Lumberjacks had to hold off a feisty Eagle squad in the final two sets.
 
An ace by Bandfield capped a 5-0 surge that snapped a 7-7 second stanza tie, only for Eastern Washington to rip off five consecutive points itself to tie the score at 12-12. The Lumberjacks gained the separation they needed with a 7-2 run that broke a 14-14 stalemate, and Davis wrapped up the game with consecutive kills to give NAU a 2-0 match advantage.
 
Bloom served the Blue & Gold on a 7-0 third set opening run in a wire-to-wire evening concluding victory. Jacobsen opened the set with a kill before she posted one of two consecutive solo blocks – the other coming via sophomore Neche Newton. After Bloom added back-to-back aces, Hatch did the same a few points later in what amounted to a 10-1 lead.
 
Eastern Washington did not go away quietly though as it cut a lead as large as 11 points down to 23-20 late. However, a Jacobsen kill followed by an Eagle set error clinched NAU's second sweep of the season – and first since the spring opener on Jan. 24.
 
"There were a couple of times where (Eastern Washington) went on a streak and blocked really well and I was impressed with how our team kept their cool and didn't overthink it," Murphy said. "In the third set, we lost our focus a little because we had such a big lead and we talked about staying composed and staying focused on the things we do well."
 
Although Eastern Washington wound up with the blocking edge (9.0-5.0), NAU forced the Eagles into 19 attack errors and only a .095 hitting percentage. Led by 12 digs from freshman Lyla Hollis, the Lumberjacks also outdug the Eagles, 36-33.
 
NAU will aim for the weekend sweep of Eastern Washington Monday night at 6 p.m. in the Rolle Activity Center.
 
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