FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Aug. 28, 2025) - The Northern Arizona women's volleyball team will kick off the 2025-26 season at the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. this week. The Lumberjacks will face Houston Christian, New Mexico, and Manhattan.
The first match will take place at 11:00 p.m. Mountain Standard time on Aug. 29 against Houston Christian. Northern Arizona has won both previous matchups against the Huskies, with the most recent victory coming in 2015. HCU finished last season 11-17 overall and 8-8 in the Southland Conference, marking their 12th consecutive appearance in the SLC postseason tournament. Live streaming of the match can be found here, and live stats are available here.
The evening match will be at 5:30 p.m. MST against the host team, New Mexico. The Lobos lead the all-time series 15-13, dating back to 1974. The two teams last met in 2024, with the 'Jacks earning a win in a five-set thriller (25-22, 25-11, 20-25, 22-25, 15-11). UNM head coach Jon Newman-Gonchar is a Northern Arizona alumnus, having earned his bachelor's degree in health sciences in December 2005. Last season, the Lobos went 13-15 overall and 6-12 in the Mountain West. Live streaming can be found here, and live stats are available here.
The tournament will conclude with a match against Manhattan on Aug. 30 at 10:00 a.m. MST. This will be the first meeting between the two programs. The Jaspers went 1-28 overall and 0-18 in the Northeast Conference last season. Live streaming of the match is available here, and live stats can be found here.
Following the Lobo Invitational, the Lumberjacks will prepare for the GCU Invite in Phoenix, Ariz., from Sept. 5-7. NAU will face in-state rival and host Grand Canyon, as well as East Texas A&M and Washington State.
The 'Jacks finished the 2024 season with a 14-14 overall record and went 7-9 in Big Sky play. They were picked to tie for seventh in the Big Sky preseason coaches' poll. Weber State topped the poll with five first-place votes. The 2025 Big Sky Volleyball Championship will be held in Greeley, Colo., hosted by Northern Colorado. The top eight teams in the regular season standings will advance to the championship, with the tournament winner receiving the Big Sky's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
NAU returns 10 players this season, including starters Kiera Hall, Kylie Moran, Hanah Stoddard, and Sophia Wadsworth. Also returning are Gigi Greenlee, Avery Gottschalk, Melia Barlow, Lilly Holmes, Peyton Devlin, and Masina Perez. The Lumberjacks welcome six newcomers: two transfers - juniors Ella Hosfeld (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho / Westmont College) and Taryn Davis (Peoria, Ariz. / Scottsdale Community College) - and four freshmen: Georgi Stein (Phoenix, Ariz. / Sunnyslope), Lauren Edlund (Barnwell, Alberta / Vauxhall), Laney Wilson (Phoenix, Ariz. / Sunnyslope), and Kate Camp (Las Vegas, Nev. / Palo Verde). Head coach Ken Murphy enters his 13th season at the helm of the 'Jacks.
Northern Arizona will open its home schedule at the Lumberjack Classic from Sept. 11-13, with matches against UC San Diego, Texas Tech, and Southern Utah. Questions regarding tickets can be directed to LumberjackTicketOffice@nau.edu.
Stay up to date with the Northern Arizona women's volleyball team by following the 'Jacks on Instagram and X.
