FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Sept. 4, 2024) - The Northern Arizona volleyball team will head to Lubbock, Texas, for the Red Raider Classic from Sept. 5-7. The Lumberjacks take on the hosts, Texas Tech, to open play on Thursday evening at 4 p.m. Mountain Standard time. They will also play Green Bay on Sept. 6 at 1:30 p.m. MST, and Florida Atlantic at 8 a.m. on Sept. 7.
All three matches will be available to stream on ESPN+ along with live stat updates.
The Lumberjacks found some success last week in their first tournament of the 2024 season with a 3-1 win over Southern Utah and a 3-0 sweep over Gonzaga. Graduate student Taylor Jacobsen was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts on the weekend. It is the first honor of the season and the third of Jacobsen's career, also receiving the award in 2019 and 2021.
Jacobsen earned all-tournament honors after hitting at a .330 clip over the weekend, carrying out 43 kills on 106 attempts and just eight errors. With three service aces, six blocks, and 29 total digs, Jacobsen hit two double-doubles over three matches. Fellow graduate, Millie O'Ketter was also named part of the all-tournament team with a total of 48 digs and four service aces.
Karya Suvarioglu and Kiera Hall led the team in assists with 55 and 54 respectively for the tournament. Avery Gottschalk led the team block pct with 1.6 blocks per set.
Northern Arizona (2-1) will meet Texas Tech for the first time since 1992 on Sept. 6 at 4 p.m. MST. Similarly to the Lumberjacks, the Red Raiders are coming from a two-of-three-match victory at the Boston College Invitational last week. Texas Tech won 3-0 against Eastern Kentucky and Iona University respectively but lost 0-3 to host Boston College. During the 2023-2024 season, Texas Tech was 11-19 overall and 4-14 in the Big 12 Conference. The Red Raiders lead the Lumberjacks 3-0 in the all-time series.
Day two (Sept. 6) of the Red Raider Classic features a match against Green Bay at 1:30 p.m. MST. The Lumberjacks lead Green Bay 1-0 in the all-time series. The first and only time they met was away at Green Bay in 2008. The Phoenix, led by seventh-year head coach Abbey Sutherland, is coming off a 16-16 campaign in 2023. GB went 13-5 in Horizon League action and made it to the Horizon League Championship game, the program's first title game appearance since the Green and White won the tournament in 2018.
Florida Atlantic will be the third match for NAU at 8:00 a.m. on Sept. 7. For the first time in program history, the 'Jacks will meet the Owls. FAU will also be coming off of a two-of-three victory from their recent home tournament last week in Boca Raton. They were able to complete sweeps against Seton Hall and Ball State and lost against Bryant University.
Upon returning from Texas, the 'Jacks will host the Lumberjack classic at home in Flagstaff. From Sept. 12-14, the 'Jacks will take on New Mexico and Tarleton State. Questions regarding tickets can be directed to LumberjackTicketOffice@nau.edu.
