BOZEMAN, Mont. (October 15, 2022) - NAU Volleyball suffered a tough sweep against the Montana State Bobcats to end a short Montana road trip (25-18, 25-13, 25-22). The Bobcats earned their best offensive game of the year, hitting on a season-best .359%, the highest percentage by an NAU opponent this season.
Coming off of 5-set marathons in six of the last seven matches, NAU got swept for the first time since losing to Utah Valley at the Utah Valley Invitation in early September. Montana State snapped a four-match losing streak after beginning conference play 2-0.
The Lumberjacks started the match out on the right foot with back-to-back kills from senior middle blocker Neche Newton and redshirt freshman defensive specialist Jordan Cherniss. Cherniss switched over to play more of an outside hitter role in the absence of freshman outside hitter Kylie Moran, who was out for the second-straight match.
On one of its numerous runs, the Bobcats strung together a 4-0 run headlined by back-to-back kills from sophomore outside hitter Jourdain Klein, who had nine kills and five in the final set.
NAU began with a balanced attack in the wake of missing key offensive players like Moran and senior outside hitter Taylor Jacobsen. The first five Lumberjack kills came off the hands of five different Lumberjacks.
Junior middle blocker Savannah Hasson, off the heels of a career-high 15 kills against Montana in NAU's last match, extended her double-digit kill streak to three with her team-high 11 kills. A tough hitting night for NAU where the Lumberjacks ended with a .195 hitting percentage, Hasson was a bright spot, hitting .474 on just two errors on 19 attacks.
An NAU 4-0 run tied the first set at 10 apiece after an ace by junior setter Kate Hatch, who has one ace in each of the last three matches. The Bobcats pulled away later in the set, hitting .375% and securing the point on the fourth kill from junior outside hitter Kira Thomsen.
In just her fifth match this season, Thomsen followed up her season-high 20-kill performance on Thursday with a match-high 12 kills, half of which came in the second set.
Thomsen has had prior success against NAU in the past, racking up a career-high 26 kills in Montana State's reverse sweep over the Lumberjacks in the quarterfinal of the Big Sky Tournament in Ogden, Utah last season.
Yet again starting a set strong with an ace from redshirt freshman outside hitter Kacce Moore, NAU fell behind early after a 3-0 Montana State run forced an NAU timeout. The run extended to 5-0 after consecutive team blocks by Klein and junior middle blocker Emma Pence.
The Bobcats forced a second NAU timeout after back-to-back kills by freshman outside hitter Madilyn Seibler to double-up NAU, 16-8. Montana State used a 5-0 run to end the set, including a successful challenge to give Thomsen her 10th kill and bring it to set point.
The run continued into Set 3 as the Bobcats jumped to a 4-0 lead bookended by kills from Klein. Hasson ended the run and led the way for NAU's most contested set of the match. The Lumberjacks hit .324% in the set, but it wasn't until later that the offense started to bloom behind Hasson's performance.
NAU called a timeout after a 3-0 run for Montana State. After a Hasson kill, the Bobcats put together yet another 3-0 run to lead, 10-3. Montana State hit a resounding .438% in the final set to claim the sweep.
The Lumberjacks found some life later in the final set thanks to a 3-0 run of their own off kills from Hasson and Newton and a combined block between the two middle blockers to force a Bobcat timeout.
Once trailing 13-4 in Set 3, NAU got to within two multiple times on kills by Hasson. At match point leading 24-22 after an unsuccessful NAU challenge, sophomore middle blocker Jordan Radick sealed the deal with her eighth kill on 12 attacks to contribute to the Bobcat's high hitting percentage.
NAU, falling to 2-12 and 1-6 in the Big Sky, will return home for its penultimate homestead of the season as it hosts Eastern Washington on Thursday, Oct 20 at 6:30 p.m. MST and Idaho on Saturday, Oct 22 at noon MST in the Rolle Activity Center.
Montana State improves to 7-12 and 3-4 in conference and will play its third of four matches in a row at Shroyer Gym against Idaho State on Thursday.
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