OREM, Utah (September 2, 2022) – The final score may have been a sweep, but the Northern Arizona volleyball team went stride-for-stride with California in the Lumberjacks' first match of the Utah Valley Invitational on Friday. However, the Golden Bears made plays late and ultimately handed the Lumberjacks a 25-21, 25-21, 26-24 sweep in Lockhart Arena as NAU dropped to 1-3.
"We showed today how hard this team is working," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "But they're feeling a little empty because we know today was one we could've had. There were a lot of times in the match where our defense was great and really defending their best stuff, but there were times when we let them off with some easy stuff. That's something I need to address to ensure that we're a little more consistent volleyball team."
Aiming for their first win over a Pac-12 team in a decade, NAU battled through a tight beginning to the day's opening set before breaking through with a 4-0 run fueled by two kills from senior
Taylor Jacobsen, who finished with a team-high 16 on the afternoon.
The run gave the Lumberjacks a 13-10 advantage and they held a 20-14 lead late following an error by the Golden Bears. A kill by junior
Savannah Hasson had NAU in good position to close out the first game at 21-16, only to see California steal the set from the Lumberjacks' grasp with a 9-0 clinching run.
After being contained for much of the first set, the Golden Bears' late surge lifted California's offensive output to an impressive .326 mark with 21 of its 25 points coming on kills. California also made it difficult on NAU to score, although the Lumberjacks hit .222 in the set, as the Golden Bears logged 28 digs.
NAU gained the early edge in set two with a 4-2 lead, but a 6-0 California run forced the Lumberjacks to call a timeout. The 'Jacks never led again although they slowly chopped away at what was at its largest, a seven-point deficit. Three straight combination blocks by Jacobsen and senior
Neche Newton cut the Golden Bears' lead to 17-14 and the Lumberjacks, on three occasions, got within two points with the last at 22-20. However, California, who improved to 3-2 with the victory, held on for the set win by scoring three of the last four points.
Needing a win to extend the match, NAU never let California get loose in the third set despite the Golden Bears recording 23 kills in the match-clincher. Neither team led by more than two points until late when a 3-0 run by the Golden Bears snapped an 18-18 tie, which was preceded by Hasson accounting for three consecutive Lumberjack points on blocks.
With the 21-18 lead in hand, California reached match point at 24-22 before NAU held off two match points. Freshman
Kylie Moran put a kill through the California block on the first, and a Golden Bears error evened the score at 24-24. However, an NAU service error sided out for California and the Golden Bears wrapped up the match on their third clinching opportunity.
Even as the Golden Bears outkilled the 'Jacks, 63-36, and hit .297 compared to NAU's .215, the Lumberjacks' offense found ways to be effective against a California team that ranked second in the country in total blocks.
"Kate (Hatch) did a good job distributing the ball and we had a little better balance offensively today," Murphy said. "Honestly, our hitters did what they do in practice."
Jacobsen's 16 kills on .259 hitting led the Lumberjacks with Hasson and Moran both recording seven kills apiece. For Hasson, the seven kills equaled a career-high. Hatch handed out 27 assists.
Jacobsen also recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 kills, which only trailed junior
Millie O'Ketter's 17, and tied a career-high with five blocks. Jacobsen's five blocks matched Hasson's five for the team-lead as NAU outblocked California, 9.0-5.0.
The Lumberjacks will look to close out the Utah Valley Invitational with a victory on Saturday when they take on Utah Valley on its home court at 1 p.m. MST.
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