FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 12, 2021) – The Northern Arizona volleyball team heads to Greeley, Colo. for their final regular season series before the conference tournament this weekend to face Northern Colorado on Sunday at 3 p.m. and Monday at 5 p.m. Both times are local to Flagstaff. The two matches will be streamed on Pluto TV Channel 1059.
One week after squaring off against the conference's first-place team, the Lumberjacks will test themselves once again with the defending Big Sky champions at the site of this spring's conference tournament. Northern Colorado, who is tied with NAU in the standings with a 9-3 record, will host the tournament from March 31-April 2. The two weekend matches will also mark NAU's first road trip in over a month since splitting a pair at Montana State on Feb. 6 and 7. Since then, the Lumberjacks played three home weekends in Flagstaff and their only road trip in that span to Idaho on Feb. 21 and 22 was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within NAU's program.
NAU's season-long five-match win streak was snapped last Monday by Weber State, but not before the Lumberjacks spoiled the Wildcats' undefeated season. NAU put an end to Weber State's perfect 10-0 record with a four-set victory on Sunday before the Wildcats returned the favor in a battle between the two conference contenders. Sunday's win was the fifth time in head coach
Ken Murphy's tenure since 2013 that a Big Sky team suffered their first conference loss of the season in the Rolle Activity Center at 7-0 or better.
With two matches remaining before the conference tournament, NAU's attack continues to be led by sophomore
Taylor Jacobsen and senior
Heaven Harris, who are averaging 4.13 and 2.70 kills per set respectively. Both players are in the top 10 in hitting percentage at .288 and .274 respectively.
Jacobsen ranks second in the Big Sky in kills and has notched double-digit kills in all but one match this season. Meanwhile, Harris has totaled seven double-digit kill matches. Harris could move up a couple of spots on NAU's all-time kills chart this weekend, needing nine to surpass Lexi Sullivan for 13th and 24 to pass Lisa Wylie for 12th in program history.
In the middle, sophomore
Neche Newton is coming on strong as an offensive threat, averaging 1.31 kills per set and hitting .474 over her last four matches. Newton, along with freshmen
Savannah Bloom and
Jordan Elder, have rotated in the two middle blocker spots the last two weeks with Bloom leading the team with 0.89 blocks per set.
Also on a tear of late is freshman
Millie O'Ketter, who is averaging 5.26 digs per set in her last five matches. O'Ketter has moved up to sixth in the conference with 3.96 digs per set on the season. In four of her last five matches, O'Ketter has recorded 19 digs or more.
NAU and Northern Colorado met just once in the 2019 season with the 'Jacks handing the Bears their only Big Sky loss of the season during their NCAA Tournament season. Despite that 3-0 loss in Flagstaff, Northern Colorado leads the all-time series 17-11, although NAU has won two straight head-to-head meetings.
Northern Colorado, the unanimous preseason favorite to repeat as champions, is coming off its bye week. Prior to their bye week, the Bears swept Idaho State on the road to rebound from a home series in which they dropped both matches to Weber State. Northern Colorado is 3-3 at home, with all three losses coming to Weber State and Montana State, while sitting undefeated on the road at 6-0. Weber State and Montana State are the two teams directly ahead of both NAU and Northern Colorado in the standings with two weeks remaining.
Taylor Muff leads a potent Northern Colorado attack with 3.84 kills per set, placing her third in the conference. Muff is hitting .233 this season and is also averaging 2.59 digs per set. Daisy Schultz, the reigning Big Sky Most Valuable Player, leads the Big Sky in assists at 10.36 per set, while Kyndall Feather anchors the Bears' back line and ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 4.00 digs per set in addition to leading the team with 18 service aces.
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