FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 16, 2026) - The Northern Arizona women's volleyball team will travel to California to compete in its final non-conference tournament, the USF Challenge, hosted by San Francisco. The Lumberjacks will face California Baptist on Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. MST, San Francisco on Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. MST and Texas Southern on Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. MST. The match against USF will be streamed live on ESPN+, while live stats for all three matches can be found via StatBroadcast.
The Lumberjacks are currently 5-4 overall and 0-0 in Big Sky Conference play this season, with a 2-1 record at home, 0-2 on the road and 3-1 in neutral-site matches. Most recently, Northern Arizona hosted its annual Lumberjack Classic, welcoming UC Riverside, Omaha and Grand Canyon. The Lumberjacks opened the tournament with a 3-0 sweep over UCR and took a four-set win over Omaha. NAU fell to GCU in a five-set thriller. Hanah Stoddard and Quincey Coyle were both named to the All-Tournament Team.
Across three matches, Stoddard totaled 49 kills, 42 digs, four assists, five aces and five blocks while hitting .252. She posted a season-high 20 kills against GCU, hitting .227 with 23.0 points, both tournament highs.
Coyle delivered a strong all-around performance at the Lumberjack Classic, making a significant impact defensively while contributing offensively. Across three matches, she totaled 30 kills while hitting .252, along with 25 digs, and five blocks. She was particularly effective at the net, recording a tournament-high three blocks against Grand Canyon while adding 18 kills and hitting .227 in the five-set match.
California Baptist is 2-5 overall and 0-0 in Big West Conference play entering the tournament and continues to battle injuries early in the season. The Lancers were recently without their leading attacker, Nalanie Neal, during their most recent tournament as she continues to deal with a foot injury.
CBU has been one of the strongest blocking teams in the Big West and nationally this season, ranking 34th in total blocks and 42nd in blocks per set at 2.55.
Daria Chekhovskikh and Bella Breuer have anchored the Lancers' defense at the net, combining for 59 total blocks this season.Chekhovskikh leads the team in total blocks (32) and blocks per set (1.28), while Breuer ranks second in those categories with 27 total blocks and 0.82 blocks per set.
California Baptist is led by head coach Trevor Johnson, who became the 14th head coach in CBU program history in December 2024.
The Lancers have already faced two fellow Big Sky opponents, falling to Montana 3-2 and Idaho 3-2. The match between the Lumberjacks and the Lancers will be the first meeting between the programs.
The San Francisco Dons are 5-5 overall and 0-0 in West Coast Conference play this season and currently rank in the top 50 in the NCAA in kills with more than 450 and in the top 70 in assists with 411. USF was picked seventh in the preseason poll in a competitive WCC.
Most recently, USF competed in The Ridge Invitational. The Dons fell 3-2 to Fresno State and 3-1 to CSUN but came away with a 3-2 win against UNLV.
In their win against the Rebels, Katariina Korhonen recorded her second consecutive double-double with 14 kills and a season-best 19 digs to guide San Francisco. Korhonen also tied Maeve Bailey with a team-high three block assists. Petra Fritz led the team with 21 kills and recorded a .259 hitting percentage, while Neukirchen also reached double-digit kills with 11. San Francisco attackers were helped by a match-high 24 assists from Jordan Smart.
In the all-time series, NAU leads USF 6-4, dating back to 1983. The last time the two teams met was in 2016, when the 'Jacks took a 3-0 sweep in a neutral-site match in Bakersfield, Calif.
The Dons are led by head coach Diogo Silva, who has been at the helm since 2021.
Texas Southern is 1-8 overall and 0-0 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play and is coming off its lone win of the season at the Southeastern Showdown, where the Tigers swept Charlotte.
The Tigers have been led offensively by Lauren Battle and Ava Houston, who have combined for more than 110 kills this season. TSUÂ is led by head coach Alexis Austin, who is entering her fourth season with the Tigers and is the fifth head coach in program history after taking over the position in April 2021.
Whis matchup will also be the first meeting between the Lumberjacks and the Tigers.
With Big Sky Conference play just around the corner, the USF Challenge will give the Lumberjacks one final opportunity to compete against non-conference opponents before turning their attention to the conference slate. NAU will open conference play on Sept. 24 when the 'Jacks host Southern Utah, followed by a matchup against Utah Tech on Sept. 26.
Stay up to date with the Northern Arizona women's volleyball team by following the 'Jacks on Instagram and X.
