POCATELLO, Idaho (Nov. 16, 2024) - It was a battle to the end for the Lumberjacks in their match up against the Idaho State Bengals. The Northern Arizona women's volleyball team emerged victorious in five sets, winning 25-14, 22-25, 25-22, 15-25, 15-9. The 'Jacks improve to 12-13 overall and 5-9 in Big Sky Conference play, while Idaho State falls to 18-8 and 9-5.
"This group works so hard, and they deserve a win like this," head coach Ken Murphy said. "I'm just really happy for the girls, who put together a strong match from start to finish and got the result."
Northern Arizona dominated the first set, firing off a 10-2 run to set the tone. The Lumberjacks recorded three aces in the first six points, courtesy of Melia Barlow and Millie O'Ketter. Savannah Bloom, Kendall Robertson, Hanah Stoddard, and Sophia Wadsworth secured key kills to push the 'Jacks to a commanding 14-5 lead. The teams traded points for the next several plays. A pair of kills from Stoddard and Robertson extended the lead to 20-10. Taylor Jacobsen's kill at 24-13 set up NAU's first set point. A service error by Stoddard momentarily gave the Bengals hope, but Stoddard's next kill sealed the first set for the 'Jacks, 25-14. Northern Arizona posted a stellar .567 hitting percentage in the first set, along with an 86.7Â side-out percentage.
Set two began with another strong start for NAU, as they built a 6-2 lead with early aces from O'Ketter and Barlow. Idaho State responded, tying the set at 8-8. A 5-1 NAU run, featuring kills from Stoddard, Robertson, and Jacobsen, gave the 'Jacks a 13-9 edge. However, the Bengals countered with a 6-1 run to take a 16-15 lead. Another 5-1 run by ISU extended their advantage to 21-17. Stoddard's block helped NAU close the gap to 21-20, but the Bengals held on, securing the set 25-22 with a service error and a kill.
The third set was tightly contested early, with the score tied three times by 6-6. A 7-1 run by NAU, fueled by five kills from Stoddard, gave them a 12-7 lead. The Bengals closed within two at 13-11, but an ace by Barlow sparked a 5-1 run, extending the 'Jacks' lead to 18-12. Idaho State narrowed the gap again with a three-point run, but Gigi Greenlee's back-to-back kills pushed NAU to 20 points. The Bengals made a late charge, closing to 23-22, but NAU capitalized on an ISU error and a decisive Jacobsen kill to take the set, 25-22.
The fourth set started in NAU's favor with a 3-0 lead, including two kills from Jacobsen. The set was tied at 6-6 before NAU pulled ahead 9-6 with a four-point scoring run. However, Idaho State surged with a 10-1 run to take a 16-10 lead. Another 6-1 run by the Bengals pushed their advantage to 22-12. NAU managed two blocks late in the set but couldn't recover, as ISU closed out the fourth set 25-15, setting up a decisive fifth set.
In the final set, the Bengals took an early 4-2 lead, but the 'Jacks responded with a dominant 9-1 run to go up 11-5. This run featured key kills from Jacobsen, Bloom, and Greenlee. NAU extended their lead to 14-6 with an ace by Kylie Moran and a kill by Barlow. Idaho State made a late push with three straight points, but Stoddard's final kill clinched the fifth set, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.
"Idaho State is really good offensively, and we knew we'd have to raise our level in that area," Murphy said. "Keira and Melia did a great job distributing the ball and keeping us balanced. Obviously, Hannah and Taylor carried a huge load for us. I'm really proud of how the team is improving as the season goes on."
Overall, Northern Arizona posted a .263 hitting percentage compared to Idaho State's .212. The 'Jacks recorded 63 kills, nine aces, and nine blocks. Jacobsen led the team with 21 kills, followed by Stoddard with 17 and Greenlee with nine, who had an impressive .615 hitting percentage. Barlow contributed four of NAU's nine aces and led the team with 26 assists, while Hall added 23 assists. Robertson led in blocks with four, and O'Ketter tallied 21 digs, bringing her season total to 415 and her career total to 1,845. She is closing in on the NAU all-time record of 1,891 career digs, held by Anna Gott (2009-12). O'Ketter needs 47 digs in the final two regular-season matches to claim the top spot.
The Lumberjacks will host their final two games of the season, facing Eastern Washington on Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Standard time and Idaho on Nov. 23, also at 6:30 p.m. MST. Both matches will take place at the Rolle Activity Center, with live coverage available on ESPN+.
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