PHOENIX, Ariz. (Sept. 6, 2025) – The Northern Arizona women's volleyball team secured a dominant sweep over the East Texas A&M Lions on Saturday afternoon in its second match of the GCU Classic.
The Lumberjacks improved to 3-2 on the season, hitting .273, while the Lions hit .130 as they fell to 0-5.
To start the match, NAU took a 5-1 lead, including kills from Sophia Wadsworth and Gigi Greenlee, as well as a service ace from Ella Hosfeld. The Lions closed the gap to within one point at 6-5, but the Lumberjacks responded with a 4-0 run. East Texas A&M continued to battle, staying within reach at 13-11. It was at this point that Northern Arizona went on a dominant 8-0 scoring run to pull ahead 21-11, with three of those points coming from kills by Kylie Moran. Melia Barlow's second service ace of the night gave the 'Jacks match point. The Lions notched one more point to make it 15, but a kill from Hanah Stoddard sealed the set.
East Texas A&M took an early 5-3 lead in the second set, but the 'Jacks answered with four straight points to go up 7-5. Northern Arizona maintained its edge throughout the set, including a 5-0 run that pushed the lead to 24-15. The Lions made a final charge, scoring three straight points, but Stoddard would once again close out the set with a match-point kill.
The 'Jacks started the third set with a 5-2 lead, but the Lions responded with a 6-1 run to take a 9-6 lead. NAU came back with a 6-1 run of its own, tying the set at 17-17. The rest of the set was tightly contested, with 11 ties overall. East Texas A&M had four opportunities to take the set, but the Lumberjacks refused to back down. Northern Arizona ultimately won the third set 30-28, securing its second sweep of the season.
Stoddard recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 17 kills and 15 digs. Barlow led the 'Jacks in digs with 21 and service aces with four. Keira Hall had 20 assists, followed by Hosfeld with 15, along with 13 digs and two aces. Greenlee totaled five blocks on the night while adding nine kills.
Tomorrow at 2 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, Northern Arizona will face tournament host and in-state rival, Grand Canyon, to close out the GCU Classic.
The match will be streamed for free on the Mountain West Network, with live stats available here.
Stay up to date with the Northern Arizona women's volleyball team by following the 'Jacks on Instagram and X.
