SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Sept. 19, 2025) - The Northern Arizona women's volleyball team (9-2, 0-0 Big Sky) is proving to be an unstoppable force as they continue to dominate in their non-conference slate, defeating Marshall (6-5, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) 3-0 this morning. It is the Lumberjacks seventh win in a row and seventh straight set sweep of the season.
To open the first set of the Wofford Invitational, the Lumberjacks raced out to an early lead behind kills from Sophia Wadsworth and Laney Wilson, pushing ahead 9-3 after a Perez ace. NAU kept a balanced attack, as Avery Gottschalk, Keira Hall, and Gigi Greenlee all chipped in kills to make it 16-9. Wilson took over late in the frame, scoring back-to-back kills to extend the margin to 19-9. Though Marshall sparked a short run to cut the deficit to 22-16, the 'Jacks closed strong with Wadsworth and Wilson sealing the set, 25-17.
Set two was a back-and-forth battle with neither side able to pull away early, as Hanah Stoddard, Greenlee, and Wilson traded points with Marshall. The Herd gained momentum with a 9-2 scoring run to move ahead 19-14, forcing a Northern Arizona timeout. NAU responded with kills from Gottschalk, Stoddard and Wadsworth to close the gap, then used a Wilson block and a Gottschalk ace to even the frame at 23-23. From there, the Lumberjacks capitalized on late kills from Stoddard and Wadsworth to outlast Marshall in extra points, 29-27, and take a 2-0 match lead.
Northern Arizona stormed out to a 6-1 lead in the third set, led by a service ace from Stoddard and kills from Wilson, Wadsworth, and Greenlee, plus a Gottschalk ace that forced an early Marshall timeout. The Lumberjacks never relinquished control, extending their advantage to 18-10 as Wilson and Stoddard powered the attack. Marshall gave a push back, delivering a 3-0 run to get to 13, but Northern Arizona maintained an aggressive ede, closing out the set 25-17.
The 'Jacks hit .318 as a team with 50 kills on just eight errors. Wilson led the way with 14 kills and a .283 hitting percentage, while Hanah Stoddard added a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs. Sophia Wadsworth chipped in 11 kills, and setter Keira Hall directed the offense with 25 assists. From the service line, Wilson, Stoddard, and Avery Gottschalk each delivered two aces, while Gigi Greenlee paced the defense at the net with three blocks. Libero Melia Barlow anchored the back row with 11 digs as NAU completed the sweep.
Tomorrow, Sept. 20, at 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard time, Northern Arizona will face Wofford, another new opponent. Live stats of the match will be available here.
Stay up to date with the NAU women's volleyball team by following the Lumberjacks on Instagram and X.
