FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 8, 2026) - The Northern Arizona women's volleyball team will host their annual Lumberjack Classic this week, Sept. 9-12, welcoming UC Riverside on Sept. 9 (6 p.m. MST), Omaha on Sept. 10 (6 p.m. MST) and Grand Canyon on Sept. 11 (6 p.m. MST) to Rolle Activity Center. All three matches featuring Northern Arizona will be available to stream on ESPN+, while live stats will be available for all matches.
The Lumberjacks are currently 3-3 on the season after competing in the Ole Miss Invitational to open the season and most recently at the SDSU Invitational this past weekend. Northern Arizona fell to LMU (3-0) and Ole Miss (3-1) before earning its first win of the season against Southeastern Louisiana (3-1). The Lumberjacks then won in five sets against both Bradley and Western Illinois (3-2) before falling 3-1 to South Dakota State.
Gigi Greenlee was named to the All-Tournament Team at both events. At Ole Miss, Greenlee recorded 32 kills and a .443 hitting percentage, including a tournament-best .750 in the opener against LMU. The redshirt junior middle blocker also recorded 13 total blocks across the weekend and scored 38.5 points for the Lumberjacks.
At SDSU, Greenlee recorded 33 kills (16, 7 and 10) and a .500 hitting percentage for the tournament, including a .652 mark against Bradley. She hit .500 against South Dakota State with zero attacking errors and .316 against Western Illinois. Greenlee added 14 blocks across the weekend and scored 40.5 points.
Hanah Stoddard also earned All-Tournament Team honors at the SDSU Invitational. The redshirt senior outside hitter recorded 40 kills (15, 12 and 13) and 30 digs (7, 7 and 16), posting her third double-double of the season in the victory over Western Illinois. Stoddard also recorded eight total blocks, three assists and three service aces while scoring 48.5 points for the Lumberjacks.
Stoddard was named the Big Sky Preseason MVP, while Greenlee was named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team. The Lumberjacks were tabbed to finish second in the Big Sky preseason coaches' poll behind Northern Colorado.
UC Riverside is currently 2-3 (0-0 Big West) on the season. The Highlanders opened their season with a 3-0 loss to Alabama on Aug. 29 before bouncing back with a 3-1 win over Samford the following day as part of the Crimson Tide Invitational.
This past weekend, UC Riverside traveled to San Jose for the SJSU Invite. The Highlanders came away with a 3-0 sweep over LSU New Orleans but fell 3-2 to Pacific and 3-1 to Portland.
In the all-time series, Northern Arizona leads 5-3, dating back to 1985. At home, the 'Jacks are 1-1, with their most recent match in Flagstaff taking place in 2014. The last time the two teams met was in 2016, when NAU took a 3-2 win in Bakersfield.
The Highlanders are led by Branden Higa, who enters his second season as head coach of UC Riverside women's volleyball in 2026. Higa came to UC Riverside from California Baptist, where he built a winning tradition and compiled a 209-144 record (.592) in 13 seasons. Higa, who guided the Lancers through their transition to Division I, also spent two years as an assistant coach at Mississippi State and one year each at Loyola Marymount and Lipscomb.
Omaha stands at 3-2 (0-0 Summit League) so far in the 2026 season. The Mavericks opened their season at the Washington State tournament, falling 3-0 to host Washington State before sweeping Central Michigan, 3-0.
The Mavericks most recently hosted their own tournament, welcoming Western Michigan, Louisiana Tech and Chicago State. Omaha fell 3-2 to Western Michigan in its opening match but rebounded with 3-0 sweeps over both Louisiana Tech and Chicago State.
Thursday's match between Northern Arizona and Omaha will mark the first meeting between the two programs.
The Mavericks are led by Matt Buttermore, who was named head volleyball coach in April 2019. In 2023, Omaha won the Summit League Championship and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Buttermore led the Mavericks to a 15-14 record (12-4 in conference play), including a 3-2 reverse sweep over Kansas City in the conference championship. Omaha faced host Kansas in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 3-0.
Grand Canyon is 3-3 (0-0 Mountain West) following its first two tournaments of the season. The Lopes opened their season at the Texas A&M Invitational, falling 3-1 to the Aggies and 3-0 to Cal Poly before closing out the tournament with a 3-0 sweep over Arkansas State.
This past weekend, the Lopes hosted the GCU Tournament. They opened with a 3-0 sweep over Louisiana Monroe before falling 3-0 to San Francisco and taking down Temple, 3-1.
Northern Arizona leads its in-state rival Grand Canyon 24-0 in the all-time series, dating back to 1981. The 'Jacks are 14-0 at home in Flagstaff and 10-0 in Phoenix. The Lumberjacks last met the Lopes during the 2025 season, winning 3-1 on the road.
The Lopes are led by Kendra Potts, who enters her third season as Grand Canyon's women's volleyball head coach in 2026 after being named the seventh head coach in program history.
In 2025, the Lopes reached the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Championship in their inaugural season in the conference. Grand Canyon featured one of the nation's top blocking units, setting its Division I-era record with 515 block assists and recording the second-most total blocks in program history (312). The Lopes ranked 17th nationally in total blocks and 21st in blocks per set (2.67).
Under Potts, freshman setter Bella Nunez added a dynamic all-around presence, ranking third nationally with nine triple-doubles.
Tickets for the Lumberjack Classic can be found here, and student admission is free. Questions regarding tickets for this week's matches or future events can be directed to LumberjackTicketOffice@nau.edu.
Order of matches:
Wednesday, Sept. 9 - 6:30 p.m. MST
UC Riverside vs NAU
Live stats
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Thursday, Sept. 10 - 3 p.m. MST
Grand Canyon vs UC Riverside
Live stats
Thursday, Sept. 10 - 6 p.m. MST
Omaha vs NAU
Live stats
Watch live
Friday, Sept. 11 - 3 p.m. MST
UC Riverside vs Omaha
Live stats
Friday, Sept. 11 - 6 p.m. MST
Grand Canyon vs NAU
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Watch liveÂ
Saturday, Sept. 12 - 11 a.m. MST
Omaha vs Grand Canyon
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Stay up to date with the Northern Arizona women's volleyball team by following the 'Jacks on Instagram and X.
