SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Nov. 27, 2024) – The Northern Arizona women's volleyball team faced Idaho State in the quarterfinal round of the Big Sky Conference tournament, falling in four sets: 12-25, 25-20, 23-25, 21-25.
"It was a really hard fought match tonight," head coach Ken Murphy said. "ISU played very low error and I thought we did a good job of keeping our composure and continuing to fight back. We just couldn't take advantage of our opportunities to score and go on runs the way we have been lately."
Idaho State came out of the gates hot, building a 7-0 lead in the first set. Kills by Sophia Wadsworth, Gigi Greenlee, Hanah Stoddard, and Taylor Jacobsen helped the 'Jacks claw back to 6-10 before ISU made a 4-0 run to extend their lead to eight at 14-6. Savannah Bloom and Kendall Robertson each secured kills to bring the score to 16-9 in the Bengals' favor. A 5-2 run by Idaho State put them in sight of the win at 21-11. Wadsworth added one more kill for the 'Jacks before ISU closed out the set with four straight points to take it 25-12.
Northern Arizona took the early lead in the second set, 4-2, with three of those points coming from kills by Jacobsen. Idaho State tied it up at four apiece before the 'Jacks made a 5-2 run to take the lead at 9-6. The two teams tied again at 11-11 and another four times to 16-16. A kill by Robertson and an ace by Keira Hall gave the 'Jacks a two-point lead at 18-16 followed by a 4-2 run, leading the score to be 22-18. ISU scored two back-to-back to get within two, however, the Lumberjacks finished off the second set with a 3-0 run, thanks to kills by Wadsworth and Bloom, to take it 25-20.
Idaho State took a 6-3 lead to start the third set. Two kills from Greenlee and Bloom helped the Lumberjacks make a 6-1 run to take the lead, 9-7. Idaho State tied the set at nine points each, and the score was tied another seven times by the time it was 18-18. From here, the 'Jacks made a 4-0 run, highlighted by an ace and a kill by Stoddard and a kill by Jacobsen, to put NAU ahead, 21-18. Idaho State fought back with a 4-1 run to tie the score again at 22-22. A 3-1 run by the Bengals secured the third set, 25-23.
Set four began with Idaho State going up 4-3 before Northern Arizona responded with a 4-0 run, featuring kills by Bloom and Stoddard, to lead 7-4. The Bengals retaliated with a 5-1 run to take the lead, 9-8. The score was tied another three times, reaching 11-11. At this point, the Lumberjacks made another 4-0 run to go ahead 15-11. A 7-2 run by the Bengals put them ahead, 18-17. A kill by Bloom tied the set for the 14th time at 20-20. However, a 5-1 run by Idaho State closed out the fourth set, securing the win for the Bengals, 25-21.
"Overall, I am just really proud of this team and the growth that they've shown over the last year," Murphy said. "This group has great character and they represent NAU as well as anyone could. Tonight's loss stings but it doesn't take away all that they have accomplished."
Northern Arizona had a team hitting percentage of .174, compared to Idaho State's .273. Two Lumberjacks recorded double-doubles.
Jacobsen led in three categories with 11 kills, 16 digs, three solo blocks, and one ace. Her career totals now stand at 1,395 kills and 1,171 digs. Stoddard also had 11 kills with 15 digs, one solo block, and an ace. Bloom contributed 10 kills and one block. Wadsworth posted eight kills, six digs, and one solo block. Greenlee had 10 kills and the highest attack percentage of the 'Jacks at .364. Melia Barlow added 23 assists, while Hall recorded 21. O'Ketter finished with 13 digs, bringing her season total to 450 and her career total to 1,880.
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