FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 7, 2023) – Chances are that when Northern Arizona (5-11, 2-3) and Montana meet for Big Sky Conference action, it will end up going the distance. Saturday afternoon's match was no exception as the Lumberjacks pulled out a five-set victory, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 16-14.
Following the result today, five of NAU's last six head-to-head matchups with Montana, including three straight, have required a deciding set to determine the winner.
"I'm so proud of our team today," head coach Ken Murphy said. "There were so many highs and lows in this match today, and it was a marathon out there. It took a lot of resilience and toughness to give us a chance at the end there. Even in that fifth set, we were down by a few points, and we came back. This team wants to be great and wants to get good results like this."
The Lumberjacks would receive contributions from many different avenues in the match. Three Lumberjacks recorded 12 kills, including Kylie Moran, Sophia Wadsworth, and Kendall Robertson, whose dozen kills marked her most since joining the team this offseason.
Three members of the Northern Arizona roster: Hanah Stoddard, Keira Hall, and Kylie Moran, each finished the afternoon with double-doubles. Stoddard's came on the strength of 18 kills and 17 digs, Hall's from 31 assists and 14 digs, and Moran's 12 kills were supplemented with 17 digs.
Four Lumberjacks had at least 10 digs, including Millie O'Ketter's team-leading 23, the fifth time this season that NAU's senior libero had more than 20 digs.
"Our team has really good balance," Murphy said. "We got contributions from a lot of players, and it was such a long match I felt like there were times where one player got hot, and one player didn't, and that switched back-and-forth throughout."
NAU played from behind throughout most of the first set, trailing by as many as six after the media timeout. With the Montana lead being at 16-10, the home team clawed back in large part from a five-point swing to get back within one.
Taking the lead off a kill from Neche Newton, once Northern Arizona went up 20-19, they did not look back, rattling off five of the following six points, forcing the Griz into hitting three attack errors, with two of them coming from solo blocks that were credited to Stoddard and Newton.
Combined, the Lumberjacks closed the match with 13 total team blocks, the first time they have been in double-digits in that category since the last NAU five-set win against Boise State on Sept. 9.
Like the opening set, Montana built up a five-point lead in set two and kept it that way for most of the second. The Lumberjacks would get within one at 20-19 before offensive errors from NAU would come back to cost them at the end of the set.
Margins were razor thin coming out of the break leading into set three, with Northern Arizona and Montana separated by just one point at the media timeout, with the Lumberjacks leading by one 15-14.
Four of the seven tied scores in the third set would occur within the following nine points of the media break before the Lumberjack defense forced two attack errors, and back-to-back kills from Wadsworth would give NAU a lead that they would not relinquish.
In similar circumstances to the opening set, which saw Northern Arizona erase a six-point deficit before winning the set, it was Montana's turn to make a comeback of their own. Trailing by three at 11-8, a five-point Griz swing put the visitors back in the lead. It would not last long before the 'Jacks would square the match back at 14.
Boosted by a 4-0 run after being tied at 14, Montana looked like they were well on their way to a deciding set. The Lumberjacks once again made it interesting, evening the score at 22 before a 3-0 Griz run would send the match into a decider.
In the final set, Northern Arizona trailed by as many as three points in the latter stages of the fifth before a 3-0 run would tie the score at 10. The two teams would be neck-and-neck in the remaining stages, needing overtime before NAU would take the final two points to clinch a second conference win of the season.
Northern Arizona will return to the court next Saturday to face off with Northern Colorado for a second time in 14 days, this time at Rolle Activity Center. The Bears won the first match of the season in Greeley in five sets. The match next Saturday will be streamed live on ESPN+ with a 6:30 start time.
To stay up to date with the NAU volleyball team, follow the Lumberjacks on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
