GREELEY, Colo. (November 5, 2022) - The NAU Lumberjacks dropped a 3-0 match to the Northern Colorado Bears whom they took down just a month prior in a thrilling contest at Rolle Activity Center.
The Jacks fall to 3-16 overall and 2-10 in Big Sky play with just a few regular season matches left to play. A combination of low hitting percentage (.181) and lack of digs (32) proved to be the downfall. The Bears on the other hand found success in the two statistical categories nearly doubling the hitting percentage (.303) and digs (49).
Kate Hatch had herself a day with 31 assists and 10 digs, notching a double-double for the 13th time in her career. The kill total for the team was split between the upfront trio of Kaycee Moore, Neche Newton, and Savannah Hasson who notched 9, 8, and 6 respectively.
While Kylie Moran missed out on the offensive fun she provided some much needed defensive backup alongside middle blocker Jordan Elder, helping the unit to eight blocks. Hatch and Elder seemed to find a bit of chemistry throughout with their set and slide across the net tactic, but it wasn't enough to pull off the upset.
Though NAU was swept by one of its biggest rivals, each individual set was a battle on the court.
Tied 8-8 in the first, four straight kills from UNC put the Jacks in a hole that they couldn't seem to climb out of. A slam dunk spike by Maddie Davies started off the rally and the Bears rode that momentum until the end, scoring a 5-2 run to finish the set 25-18.
After jumping out to a quick 6-3 lead in the second, the Jacks struggled to keep the pace up, letting their opponents climb right back into the match. The two squads clashed until the media timeout as the gap was never greater than a single point. Unfortunately, that would be the turning point as the Bears strung together a 7-0 sequence that left NAU stunned, concluding the set 25-19.
On the edge of defeat, the Lumberjacks strove to put up a fight in the third set and that they did. Rebounding after an early 5-10 deficit, Savannah Hasson provided a glimmer of hope as a blast through the middle of two waiting defenders equaled the game at 12.
Back to back blocks in the late stages by Jordan Elder and Kylie Moran helped swing the energy and NAU had its first lead since midway through the previous set. It was all for not however, as UNC squeezed out the victory 26-24.
The Lumberjacks head back home for a loaded slate with the Weber State Wildcats, current Big Sky leader with a 9-3 conference record, coming into town on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. MST.
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