Volleyball Sweeps Idaho, 3-0, in Big Sky Conference Opener

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 23, 2021) – The Northern Arizona volleyball team made quick work of Idaho on Thursday, opening conference play with their first sweep of the season, 25-20, 25-11, 25-22, in the Rolle Activity Center. The Lumberjacks (3-7, 1-0 Big Sky) received an all-around performance from junior Taylor Jacobsen, who posted 13 kills, seven digs, four blocks and an ace, to lead NAU to its seventh conference opening victory in the last nine seasons.
 
"It's satisfying to know that we can play such a complete match," said head coach Ken Murphy. "From start to finish, we did a lot of good things, featured a lot of pieces of our offense and for the first time this year, really had a great defensive performance. It started with our block; our middle blockers did a great job in particular. To rely on different phases of our game and put it together to win in three, it's a great sign of the direction our team is moving in."
 
With Jacobsen, the returning first team All-Big Sky honoree, leading the way, the Lumberjacks hit .275 and more importantly, outdug the Vandals (53-47) and held an 11.0-8.0 block advantage. NAU's defensive performance resulted in Idaho hitting .028 – the lowest by an opponent by far this season – with 24 attack errors to 27 kills.
 
NAU locked down Idaho, particularly in the second game with the Vandals only totaling six kills and hit -.086 in the Lumberjacks' most lopsided set victory of the campaign. Sophomore Millie O'Ketter held down the back row with a season-high 17 digs and sophomore Jordan Elder recorded a match-high six blocks, including a career-high tying three solo.
 
The 'Jacks didn't trail at all through the first two sets before completing the sweep with a tough third set win. NAU snapped a 3-3 tie with three consecutive points in the evening's first game, but the Lumberjacks were never able to fully pull away from the Vandals.
 
The opening set remained tight with NAU holding a 19-16 lead before three Idaho miscues contributed to a four-point surge that extended the Lumberjacks' advantage out to 23-16. After Idaho responded with three straight points, NAU closed out the set with redshirt junior Morgan Gappmayer – who also finished the night with 11 digs – totaling five of her nine kills in the game.
 
Idaho committed five consecutive attack errors to start the second game – with two coming on tandem blocks by Elder and Jacobsen – as NAU raced out to a 6-0 lead. The set was never in doubt with the Lumberjacks hitting .345 in the stanza.
 
The third set was a different story though as the Vandals erased an initial 4-1 Lumberjack edge to take a 10-8 lead. Idaho got to 15 first, claiming a slim 15-14 lead at the media timeout and led as late as 18-16.
 
From there, NAU retook the lead with a 6-1 run, only for Idaho to tie the set at 22-all. However, a Vandal error gave the 'Jacks sideout, and freshman Sophia Wadsworth put NAU at match point with a kill off the block. On the ensuing point, Wadsworth and Elder put a cap on the sweep with NAU's final block of the evening.
 
"We're definitely skilled and you can see good things happening on the court for us when we're confident and believing in ourselves," Murphy said. "We just need more experience. You get into situations like the third set where it went back and forth for a while and we didn't side out quite as efficiently as we did the rest of the match, but we kept our composure and relied on the things we do well."
 
Outside of Jacobsen and Gappmayer, who combined for just five fewer kills than Idaho had as a team, the Lumberjacks received efficient efforts by senior Ryann Davis (six kills, .357 hitting) and Wadsworth (five kills, .333 hitting) on the right side.
 
"Tonight was really big for us," Jacobsen said. "We know we have the skill, we just have to come out and put it all together. We've been working really hard in practice and it's time to show our fans what we really can do."
 
NAU will aim to complete the unbeaten opening weekend of conference play on Saturday when the Lumberjacks host Eastern Washington at 12 p.m. in Rolle. The Eagles also were victorious on Thursday, winning in five sets on the road at Southern Utah.
 
To stay up to date with the NAU volleyball team, follow the Lumberjacks on Twitter and Instagram.