FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 8, 2023) – Facing off against a team that made the NCAA Tournament last season in Stephen F. Austin, the Northern Arizona volleyball team (2-6) fell in straight sets, 13-25, 15-25, 18-25 to wrap up the second day of the Lumberjack Classic in front of 497 fans at Rolle Activity Center on Saturday.
Even in defeat, head coach Ken Murphy was incredibly optimistic about how his team portrayed themselves against a top program.
"I thought that the whole night was a big improvement over anything that we have done this year," Murphy said. "We were very aggressive from the start and definitely intent on playing our style of volleyball. Early in the match, I think that made us more error prone. But as the match went on, we found the court better, neutralized them a little bit more and saw some great progress against a really strong team."
Northern Arizona indeed came out on the offensive, matching Stephen F. Austin with 33 total attacks during the first set.
NAU would keep the score level for the better part of the first half of set one, trailing by only a point at 11-10. The Ladyjacks of Stephen F. Austin began to find their groove after that, rattling off six straight to go up by seven. From the 11-10 scoreline, Stephen F. Austin went on a 14-3 run to close out set one.
A 3-1 lead for SFA would begin the second set before three straight Lumberjack points on the strength of kills from Sophia Wadsworth and Hanah Stoddard would tie things up at three.
For a sixth time in eight matches, Stoddard reached the 10-plus kill mark, striking an even ten on the Ladyjacks.
After four tied scores within the first 10 points of set two, Stephen F. Austin once again got going offensively, hitting at an even .400 clip throughout the second. Tied 5-5, the Ladyjacks went on a 10-point streak to head into halftime up two sets to none.
It looked as if Stephen F. Austin was going to race to the finish line in the third set, taking an early 8-3 lead. However, Northern Arizona continued to fight, getting within two points in the latter stages of the third.
Northern Arizona received contributions from a wide variety of players in set three. Utah transfer Courtney Oilar recorded her first and second kills as a Lumberjack in her first moments of action on the season. Freshman Avery Gottschalk would also pick up a solo block in the third, her second in four matches played.
With the last of Stoddard's 10 kills closing the NAU deficit to 2 at 19-17, Stephen F. Austin would once again go on a run, claiming five of the final six points to close the match in straight sets.
One more match remains for Northern Arizona at its home tournament, a date with the Boise State Broncos awaits on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. Both teams will be looking for their first win of the 2023 Lumberjack Classic. The match will air live on ESPN+.
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