FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 25, 2022) - The Lumberjacks are looking to build momentum on the road, coming off a split weekend in Flagstaff. The Jacks took a 3-2 win to the Eastern Washington Eagles on Thursday, while dropping a 3-1 match to Idaho on Saturday.
NAU fell to a 3-13 record while playing 2-7 in the Big Sky, remaining 9th in the conference standings, just in front of the Idaho Vandals. The 'Jacks are heading into the road trip to Sacramento State and Portland State, looking to gain some headway against two of the top four teams in the Big Sky.
Savannah Hasson has continued to step up for the Lumberjacks both offensively and defensively. Recording 16 and 11 kills against Eastern Washington and Idaho respectively, Hasson led the Lumberjacks against the Eagles while recording her career high against the with her 16 kills. Averaging 2.77 kills per set, Hasson added eight digs in the two matches as well. Hasson's 16 kills came with a .522 hitting percentage against the Eagles and followed up with a .381 against the Vandals.
Kylie Moran came back into the mix for the 'Jacks this week, after not playing the week before, earning the start for both matches. Moran combined for a total of 26 digs in the two matches along with a 23 kills for the 'Jacks, posting back-to-back double-double matches.
Portland State leads the Big Sky, with only one conference loss, coming to Northern Colorado on Sept. 29. The Bears swept the Vikings in a 3-0 match, which was PSU's last loss overall. The Vikings are on a six match win streak, putting them at the top of the Big Sky standings.
The Vikings are coming off a one-match weekend to Sacramento State, earning the 3-2 victory to the Hornets. Offensively, the Viks are led by Sophia Meyers who has 237 kills through the season, averaging 3.25 kills per set. Setting for PSU is Madison Friebel who has 627 assists for the team, averaging 8.47 per set.
Defensively, the Vikings Ashleigh Barto has put up 61 blocks through the season. Ellie Snook leads the Big Sky conference in block with 354, averaging 4.54 per set. The Vikings as a team lead the Big Sky in service aces per set with 139 total, 1.78 per set. The Vikings are second in the conference behind Northern Colorado in kills with 1,016.
NAU leads the all-time series against Portland State 31-22. The Vikings lead the series in Portland, holding the 'Jacks to 13-14 at PSU. The 'Jacks are on a two match losing streak to the Vikings, one coming earlier this season in Flagstaff as the Jacks fell 3-2 in the fifth set. Last year the series was split with a 3-1 win on Jan. 31 Portland and a 3-1 loss in Portland in the fall on Oct. 9.
Sacramento State is coming off their third loss in Big Sky play, with an overall conference record of 6-3. The Hornets stand at 4th in the conference, with the team's last win coming to Idaho State in a 3-1 fashion before falling to Portland State in a 3-1 match.
The Hornets are led by Caitlin Volkmann who has recorded a team high 221 kills this season. Volkmann posted her second double-double of the season with 12 kills and 11 digs against Portland State. The junior outside-hitter averaged 2.37 kills per set against the Bengals and Vikings this week. Volkmann holds a season hitting percentage of .219.
Defensively, Caty Cordano leads the Hornets with 333 total digs, averaging 4.16 per set. Cordano is coming off 18 digs against Idaho State, while not playing against the Vikings. The Hornets have also found defensive success at the net, with Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin leading the team with 98 blocks, followed by Kalani Hayes with 82 blocks.
The Hornets hold a series record of 38-24 to the Lumberjacks, with 25 of NAU's losses coming in Sacramento. NAU has only picked up 2 wins while playing the Hornets in Sacramento, one of those wins coming last season with a 3-0 sweep on Oct. 7. Before NAU's 3-2 loss to the Hornets at home on Sept. 29 this season, the 'Jacks were on a three match win streak to Sacramento.
To stay up to date with NAU Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram.
