NAU Makes Late Push, Ultimately Falls to Utah Valley, 3-1

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 11, 2021) – In the finale of the two-day Lumberjack Classic, the Northern Arizona volleyball team fell to Utah Valley on Saturday, 22-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-22, dropping NAU's record to 1-6 this season.
 
Arizona State claimed the tournament title going undefeated with three victories over the last two days. Utah Valley claimed second with a win in Rolle Activity Center on Saturday over NAU in the de facto second-place match, with UC Davis placing fourth.
 
"We were doing all the right things (today), but we were a little out of control on our side and we weren't reacting well to it," said head coach Ken Murphy. "We definitely created opportunities for ourselves though and that was one of the most frustrating parts about it. We had so many opportunities to score points today and we didn't finish them."
 
Sophomore Lyla Hollis and senior Ryann Davis represented NAU on the All-Tournament team. Hollis averaged 4.42 kills per set and recorded 53 kills in all over the weekend along with a team-high five aces. Davis hit .315 and totaled 21 kills, 10 digs and six blocks between the three matches.
 
On Saturday, the Wolverines kept the Lumberjacks in check offensively, notching 14.0 blocks – the most by an opponent in nearly two years – and limiting NAU to only .119 hitting. Hollis led the team with 11 kills and junior Taylor Jacobsen also reached double-figures with 10, while Davis chipped in nine.
 
Despite NAU's offensive struggles, its defense locked in and forced Utah Valley to hit only .189. The Lumberjacks had three players with double-digit digs led by Jacobsen and sophomore Millie O'Ketter's 14. Along with Jacobsen, senior Aubrea Bandfield recorded a double-double with 22 assists to go with 12 digs.
 
The two teams battled through a tightly-contested opening set as the lead exchanged five times. Knotted up at 14-14 – the 10th and final tie of the first set – redshirt junior Morgan Gappmayer put down a kill and Hollis followed with an ace to give NAU the slightest of advantages.
 
A 4-0 run later pushed NAU's lead out to 21-16 and Hollis would eventually terminate the first set with a kill, giving the Lumberjacks their first opening set victory this season.
 
Utah Valley jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the second set, but the combination of Hollis at the service line and junior Neche Newton at the net ignited a swift Lumberjack run. Hollis' tough serving played a huge role in five consecutive Wolverine attack errors – three coming on blocks by Newton, who had seven for the match – during a 6-0 run that pushed NAU in front.
 
But Utah Valley retook the lead at 13-12 and methodically increased its advantage all the way to evening the match at 1-1. The Wolverines proceeded to lead for most of the third set with as large as a five-point advantage at 20-15 before the Lumberjacks surged.
 
Hollis once again took over, contributing two kills and acing the Wolverines on consecutive points to cap a 6-1 run that tied the set at 21-21. However, Utah Valley recovered after a timeout and scored the final four points to halt NAU's comeback effort.
 
Trailing 2-1 in the match, the fourth set could not have started worse for NAU as the 'Jacks found themselves down, 12-4. Yet, NAU never gave in and slowly chipped away until an ace by sophomore Savannah Bloom put the Lumberjacks ahead 21-20. But like the set prior, it was the Wolverines who would finish strong, closing on a 5-1 run after Bloom's ace to seal up the victory.
 
"I need to do a better job of helping our team finish those sets and finish matches," Murphy said. "We played well enough to win all three matches this weekend honestly, and we're just too inconsistent so I need to a better job of figuring out how to help our team be more confident. We're very talented and we play well for long stretches of time. If we can shore that up, I have confidence in what we can do this year and I know that's my responsibility to make sure that we play at the level we're capable of every day."
 
NAU looks to bounce back, and finish the non-conference portion of its schedule on a high note, with a home-and-home week with New Mexico. The two teams will first meet in the Rolle Activity Center, next Thursday at 6 p.m. before the rematch a week from Saturday in Albuquerque.
 
To stay up to date with the NAU volleyball team, follow the Lumberjacks on Twitter and Instagram.