Lumberjack Volleyball Picks Up First Win of Season, Splits Opening Day of Home Tourney

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 10, 2021) – The Northern Arizona volleyball team split the opening day of the Lumberjack Classic, notching their first win of the 2021 season in the process. The Lumberjacks (1-5) successfully defended their home court in Friday's opener in Rolle Activity Center, besting UC Davis 20-25, 26-24, 25-18, 23-25, 15-10 to snap a season-opening four-match skid.
 
NAU was unable to complete a perfect day though despite a valiant effort as Arizona State denied the 'Jacks of a second win, 25-18, 24-26, 27-25, 25-16, in front of a crowd of 1,315 in the nightcap.
 
"I thought we played good matches today. We're thinking a little about that last match and not finishing quite as strong as we would've liked to," said head coach Ken Murphy. "At the same time, we made a lot of good plays today, we did a lot of good things out on the court and we played with intensity for long periods of time. So there's no doubt that this is progress for us."
 
Sophomore Lyla Hollis recorded a pair of 20-kill matches, becoming the first Lumberjack to total 20 or more kills in consecutive matches since Kaylie Jorgenson in 2017. Hollis set a new career-best with 22 kills in the victory against UC Davis before following up with 20 kills versus Arizona State.
 
Match 1 – UC Davis
Stepping onto their home court for the first time this season, the Lumberjacks put an end to their losing streak with a gutsy five-set win over UC Davis. Behind Hollis' 22 kills, junior Taylor Jacobsen returned from a one-match absence to put down 15 kills, while sophomore Jordan Elder tallied her first career double-digit kill match with 10.
 
NAU hit .235 in the victory with senior Aubrea Bandfield (29 assists) and sophomore Kate Hatch (26 assists) guiding the team to a season-high 66 kills.
 
After dropping the first set, NAU quickly saw a 16-14 second set lead disappear as UC Davis rattled off six straight points. The Lumberjacks would later stare set point – and a 2-0 match deficit – right in the face, but they refused to blink down 24-21.
 
NAU sided out on a UC Davis service error, spurring a set-clinching 5-0 run with Elder killing two balls, including on set point, to even the match at 1-1.
 
The Lumberjacks seized control of the third set early racing out to a 10-5 lead and never looking back as they grabbed their first match advantage of the season behind 10 combined kills from Hollis, Jacobsen and Elder.
 
However, the Aggies responded in the fourth set and held off a later Lumberjack charge to force a decisive game. NAU trailed 20-15 when senior Ryann Davis, who hit .571 and had eight kills without an error in the match, started a 5-1 run with a kill that pulled the Lumberjacks within 21-20. But NAU could not climb all the way back and went to a fifth set for the first time this season.
 
There, NAU jumped out to a 6-1 edge with Elder and freshman Sophia Wadsworth punctuating the surge with consecutive blocks. The Aggies would not go away quietly though, climbing back within 7-6 before junior Jasmine West served NAU on a crucial 5-0 run.
 
West's service prowess gave the 'Jacks distance that they needed on the scoreboard, and they would wrap up the match on an Aggie attack error.
 
"We tried to downplay it a little because you can't force it to happen, but at the same time the team needs to believe in themselves and put a few wins under their belt," Murphy said. "I thought we finished strong. It was the right situation to go to five sets. We had a letdown in the fourth and proved to ourselves that we can affect the outcome of the match if we focus on the things that we do well."
 
NAU outkilled UC Davis, 66-46, in the match and sophomore Savannah Bloom and Wadsworth each posted five blocks. Sophomore Millie O'Ketter led three Lumberjacks in double-figure digs with 11.
 
Match 2 – Arizona State
With momentum on its side coming off the win and an electric crowd of 1,315 – the second-largest home crowd in program history – NAU went toe-to-toe with Arizona State in the Friday finale.
 
However, a tight third set went the Sun Devils' way with the match tied at 1-1 and Arizona State pulled away from NAU in the fourth game. Still, the return of fans in a big way for the first time in 657 days was not lost on the team.
 
"Last year was so different and to come back on our first home night and have a crowd like that, as loud as they were, it means so much to us that people are aware of our program and supporting us," Murphy said. "I know it fired up our team to play hard and show them our best volleyball."
 
The Lumberjacks actually held the slight edge in kills, 56-54, but the Sun Devils had a massive hitting percentage advantage at .320-.231. NAU was also hampered by 15 service errors to just five by Arizona State. The visitors from the Pac-12 also outblocked NAU, 11.0-5.0.
 
Arizona State claimed the first set in a wire-to-wire effort, which was an anomaly compared to the next two. The second and third games featured a combined 28 ties and eight lead changes with each team breaking through with a set win.
 
Like in the first match, NAU faced set point and the prospect of going down 2-0, but managed to rally to steal the game in extra points. Trailing 24-23, NAU evened the score on an Arizona State service error, and reached set point of its own on a kill by redshirt junior Morgan Gappmayer, who was exceptional with nine kills on .533 hitting on the evening. Hollis then closed with one of NAU's nine aces in the match.
 
The crucial third set went in the Sun Devils' favor though as the Lumberjacks could not capitalize on a late lead. Battling back from a 17-14 deficit, NAU led 22-20 following a Hollis kill. The Lumberjacks held one final lead at 23-22, but despite staving off two set points, they saw the Sun Devils close on a 5-2 run.
 
Junior Neche Newton tied the fourth game with a kill at 6-6 before Arizona State pulled away courtesy of a 10-3 run that put NAU behind 16-9. Hatch got NAU as close as 17-12 with an ace, but the deficit was too large for the Lumberjacks to overcome.
 
In defeat, NAU saw a number of players string together positive performances though headlined by Bloom, who not only recorded a career-high six kills, but also added four blocks to put her day's total at nine rejections.
 
Hollis also notched her second double-double of the day with a team-high 11 digs to go with her 20 kills.
 
Up next, NAU will close out its home tournament on Saturday at 2 p.m. versus Utah Valley in the Rolle Activity Center. The Wolverines were also 1-1 on Friday with a five-set loss to Arizona State and a five-set win over UC Davis.
 
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