FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Oct. 22, 2024) -Â The Northern Arizona women's volleyball team will take on two opponents on the road this week, facing the Idaho Vandals on Oct. 26 in Moscow, Idaho, with the match commencing at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Standard time. The second match will be against the Eastern Washington Eagles on Oct. 28 at 12:00 p.m. MST.
Northern Arizona is coming off of two wins at home against the Montana rivals, beating Montana 3-0 and Montana State 3-1.
Currently in the Big Sky Conference, Northern Arizona ranks eighth in the Big Sky Conference standings. Its team-hitting percentage is .191. Taylor Jacobsen leads the 'Jacks in kills with 196 total for an average of 3.70 per set. In the conference, she ranks second, behind Bridgette Smith of Sacramento State who has 275 kills for a 3.82 average. Hanah Stoddard is in seventh place averaging 2.95 kills per set. The leader in assists is Keira Hall with 322 for an average of 5.19 assists per set, leading her to place ninth in the Big Sky. Kendall Robertson has 1.02 blocks per set for a total of 62, placing her in 10th in the conference. Millie O'Ketter leads the conference in digs with 306 this year, averaging 4.94 per set.
"Myself and the team feel good about going into the two road games this week." Stoddard said. "We have been working very well together as a team recently and our offense has elevated this past week. We are just going to try and continue to keep up the energy and it would be two really great wins for us."
The Vandals stand at 1-17 on their season and 0-7 in Big Sky Conference play. They are led by head coach Romana Redondo Krišková as she enters her second season as a member of the Idaho coaching staff and first season as the interim head coach in 2024.
Most recently, Idaho took on its in-state rivals, Idaho State on Oct. 19 where they were defeated in three sets - 25-23, 25-20 and 25-17.
Zuzanna Weiczorek, a sophomore from Poland, leads Idaho in kills with an average of 2.59 per set and has made 140 so far this season. Freshman libero, Ada Isik from Turkey has an average of 2.87 digs per set with 132 this season. Senior middle blocker Emma Patterson has 33 blocks, averaging 0.94 per set. Madu Fontes, a junior from Brazil, ranks second in the Big Sky with the number of service aces, averaging 0.46 per set. As a team, they have a hitting percentage of .144, ranking 10th in the conference.
The last time the Lumberjacks met the Vandals in 2023, the 'Jacks took a 3-0 sweep, and presently hold a three-game winning streak. In the all-time record, Northern Arizona leads Idaho 24-13, dating back to 1987.
Eastern Washington ranks fourth in the Big Sky Standings and they are currently on a five-match winning streak. They are led by head coach Jon Haruguchi who enters his third season with the Eags. Haruguchi joined Eastern after six seasons as an assistant and associate head coach at the University of Northern Colorado.Â
Most recently, the Eagles took on the Weber State Wildcats, taking the victory 3-1 (24-26, 25-23, 25-16, 25-22) on Oct 19. They will play against Northern Colorado before the game against NAU.
Offensively, Kalista Lukovich leads in kills with 193 for an average of 2.92 kills per set, putting her in eighth in the Big Sky, one spot behind NAU's Hanah Stoddard who has 2.95 per set. Jannie Blake averages 5.22 assists per set, putting her in eighth in the rankings. Bri Gunderson leads the Big Sky in blocks, averaging 1.56 per set. She also has 0.32 service aces per set to be eighth in the rankings. For digs, Makenna Collins averages 3.79 per set to be ranked fourth. As a team, Eastern Washington has a hitting percentage of .207.
The last meeting between the Lumberjacks and Eagles in 2023 saw EWU sweep NAU 3-0. Eastern Washington has the edge in the all-time record leading Northern Arizona 40-35.
Live coverage of both matches will be available to stream on ESPN+ as well as live stats to follow along.
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