CEDAR CITY, Utah (Sept. 17, 2024) - The Northern Arizona women's volleyball team took on Southern Utah for the second time this season, beating them 3-0 in straight sets (25-23, 25-21, 25-16) to put its season record at 5-4. NAU is now up 31-5 in the all-time series against former Big Sky Conference foes, with an 18-match win streak. With the win, the Lumberjacks have now won three-straight matches.
"I'm really proud of the way our team competed tonight," head coach Ken Murphy said. "It was a tough environment and we played our most composed and intense of the year so far."Â
The first set saw the Lumberjacks get off to a slow start, with the Thunderbirds making a 5-0 run. The Lumberjacks made a comeback and tied the set up at 6-6. SUU was persistent and continued to lead for the majority of the first set. Southern Utah got back to a four point lead when the score was 18-12. The 'Jacks were able to bring it back to a one-point game at 22-21. Another kill by SUU followed to put the score at 23-21 before Northern Arizona completed a 4-0 run to steal the first set 25-23.
Set two started off closely matched as the score was tied 3-3. A 5-0 run by Southern Utah took the score to 8-3. NAU came back with a 9-1 run, overtaking the lead from the Thunderbirds at 12-9. A 5-1 run by SUU regained them the lead at 14-13 before Keira Hall completed a kill to tie the score for the sixth time at 14-14. When the set tied again at 15-15, the Lumberjacks made a 7-1 run to put them at 21-16. Southern Utah continued to fight with a 4-0 run to close the gap to one point at 21-20. From here, Northern Arizona made a 4-1 run to take the second set 25-21.
The third set began with a 3-1 lead to Southern Utah. A 6-1 run would give the Lumberjacks the upper hand at 7-4. Northern Arizona made a 4-0 run later to get to 11-5. The Thunderbirds would make a 5-1 run down the line to get within one at 15-14. Two kills in a row by Taylor Jacobsen as part of a 3-0 run would put the 'Jacks ahead at 18-14. SUU would continue to push with two straight points at 18-16. It was from here that the Lumberjacks ran away with the lead. Seven straight points would come from the Blue and Gold side, with Jacobsen delivering three-straight service aces to end the match. The third set would end victorious for the 'Jacks, 25-16Â for a 3-0 straight-set sweep. This would be the second match in a row where the 'Jacks would sweep their opponent after last week's win over Tarleton State.
"What I really liked was how we won the match with our defense," Murphy said. "As soon as we started blocking better, about halfway through the first set, it seemed like everything else fell into place."
Overall, the 'Jacks were .144 on overall hitting percentage. Jacobsen would lead the field in kills with 11 and also led in digs with 10 for a double-double, and service aces of which she had five. Karya Suvarioglu was the leader in assists with 16, followed by Keira Hall with 12. Millie O'Ketter added nine more digs to her career. Avery Gottschalk dominated in blocks with a 3.5 average and had an overall hitting percentage of .455.Â
"It was definitely a breakthrough match for Avery," said Murphy. "She provided offense at times when we really needed it and her blocking was high-level all night. I'm excited about how she is growing as a player and how much more she will be able to impact our success as we move through the season."
Northern Arizona will take on Utah Tech in two days on Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. Mountain Standard time in St. George. The Trailblazers will then play the Lumberjacks again two days after that at home in Flagstaff at 1 p.m. MST. Live stats and live coverage will be available on ESPN+.
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