JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (September 2, 2023) - The Northern Arizona volleyball team dropped a third consecutive match on Saturday, falling to The Citadel at the Jacksonville Invitational in straight sets, 23-25, 18-25, 18-25. Saturday's contest saw the Bulldogs hit 45 kills at a .263 percentage. NAU (2-4) was held to a hitting percentage under .200 for the second time this weekend.
"I thought the team competed hard against a strong opponent," head coach Ken Murphy said. "We had some breakdowns in our side-out offense that were hard to overcome, but it was great seeing us hang in and fight."
Northern Arizona got off to a fast start against the undefeated Bulldogs in set one, immediately jumping out to a 6-4 lead on the strength of four kills, a service ace and a Citadel attack error through the first 10 points.
The Citadel would follow that up by taking seven of the next nine points to take their first lead of the opening set to go back in front. It would remain that way for much of the remainder of the opener. NAU would mount a late resistance, saving three set points on a pair of kills from Kylie Moran and a Bulldog error. However, The Citadel would convert on the fourth and final set point to seal a two-point opening set 25-23.
Both Northern Arizona and The Citadel saw their side-out percentages at over 65 percent during the opening set of play, the highest percentage both teams would attain for the remainder of the match.
The beginning of set one would take on the inverse in set two, with The Citadel coming out hot and going on a 5-0 run to go up 5-1 after the Lumberjacks took the opening point of the second set forcing a Citadel attack error.
Attempting to halt any more momentum, senior Millie O'Ketter would fire two consecutive service aces to get the Lumberjacks back within a point. Both teams would continue sharing turns with the lead during the second, with three lead changes and six tied scores throughout set two. It was not until The Citadel rolled off a string of five straight points to pull ahead 18-14.
O'Ketter recorded 13 digs and recorded 10-plus digs for a second consecutive match. The Lumberjacks' offensive attack was led by Savannah Bloom, with eight kills on 19 swings. Bloom, who along with Kendall Robertson, was one of two Lumberjacks to finish the match hitting over .300. Robertson, who entered the weekend leading the Big Sky in solo blocks, added two more to her total today.
Not content with allowing the NAU to try and claw their way back like they did set one, The Citadel finished off set two by winning the final five points of the second by way of two kills from Ali Ruffin, a pair of service aces and a Lumberjack attack error.
Trailing by two sets, the Lumberjacks were once again going toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs leading 7-5 early in the third before The Citadel converted on 11 of the next 13 points to go up 16-9. After a service error from the Bulldogs ended that stretch, they would go on a 4-0 run to grow the lead to 10, their biggest of the match, before finishing off the sweep.
Northern Arizona was able to outblock their opponent for a sixth consecutive match recording eight total blocks compared to The Citadel's six.
After spending the first two weekends of the 2023 season on the road, NAU will make their return to the Rolle Activity Center hosting the Lumberjack Classic with three matches in three days against Arizona State, Boise State and Stephen F. Austin.
"I'm still very optimistic about this team because we are capable and motivated to make the changes we need," Murphy said. "And it will be important for us to get back to work right away, considering the challenges we will face next weekend."
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