Subscribe to RSSVolleyball spikes Sac State
This was the first year in program history the Jacks beat the Hornets in Sacramento (on Sept. 22) and went 2–0 against them in season play.
“[We] just swept Sac State for the first time in school history,” said head coach Craig Choate. “You’re in the middle of the hunt. If that doesn’t get you motivated, then there’s not much coaches can do.”
Senior middle blocker Katie Bailey (7) and junior setter Kelli Dallmann (5) make a block in their 3-2 victory against Sacramento State. (Photo by Sarah Hamilton)
Eight Lumberjacks tallied double-digit stats, junior outside hitters Lexi Sullivan and Lauren Campbell led the Jacks with 21 kills each, a career high for Campbell. Junior setter Kelli Dallmann earned her 12th double-double of the season with 55 assists and 16 digs.
“We’re going to go back to being aggressive,” Choate said. “Like we were before.”
NAU put together two consecutive wins for the first time in just over a month, with the Hornets being on the receiving end both times.
“We were passing great, setting great, the middles were drawing blocks,” Campbell said. “It was really a team effort.”
NAU took the first frame with a score of 25–22 and won its first opening-set in the last seven matches. Both teams committed 10 errors through the stanza, with NAU hitting six service errors. The Jacks were led in the first by Sullivan’s four kills and 11 assists by Dallmann.
The next three frames were decided by two points each, with Sac State taking the second, 27–25, and third, 25–23. The two squads tied 21 times through the two sets and saw 10 lead changes. The Jacks shot a .436 hitting percentage in the third, but the Hornets kept pace with a .434 hitting percentage.
The Lumberjacks began the fourth set 5–1, but the Hornets battled back and neither team held a definitive lead until the final moments of the frame. A kill by Campbell spurred a 5–3 run for NAU, ending the fourth set 25–23. There were nine ties and seven lead changes in the frame.
“It was really exciting,” Dallmann said. “It was good to see everyone work hard together.”
With both squads even at two sets apiece, the ladies took to the court for the final stanza. NAU held Sacramento to a .000 hitting percentage, while averaging a .364 themselves. The Hornets could not keep up with the Jacks in the fifth, allowing NAU to go on a 6–2 run that they could not recover from. A block from first year outside hitter Taylor Stephens and freshman middle blocker Sydney Kemper gave NAU the match point. Sac State dropped the set 15–10, improving NAU’s home record to 6–2.
“We just keep building,” Campbell said. “Keep playing the same way we have been playing. Everybody is gonna keep coming out hard and just play their best and play as a team.”
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Author: TravisGuy
I am the sports editor for NAU's student newspaper The Lumberjack. I have been reporting on sports for a few years now and love every minute of it. I have had some great opportunities so far and can only imagine what the future holds. I am a huge MMA fan and an even bigger Oregon fan.
