Volleyball Prepares for First Place Teams in Eastern Washington and Portland State
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Northern Arizona volleyball faces its toughest challenge to date when Eastern Washington and Portland State arrive for matches on Thursday, Oct. 15 and Saturday, Oct. 17. The Eagles and Vikings are locked in a three-way tie with Northern Colorado for first place in the Big Sky Conference.
The Lumberjacks are back home after hitting the road last weekend for matches against Montana and Montana State. NAU (5-10, 2-4 BSC) was swept by Montana, but bounced back and picked up a sweep of their own against Montana State.
The Lumberjacks are reaching the midpoint of the conference season and currently seventh in the Big Sky standings. The top six teams make the Big Sky Championships in November.
Live Stats and
Webcast
NAU will provide live stats and at www.nauathletics.com for all
matches this weekend. Live stats will be available free of charge.
Big Sky TV (www.bigskytv.org), the league’s comprehensive
video streaming package, video streams all volleyball matches
played in Big Sky venues. For the second straight season, the
service will be free to viewers, but viewers will need to register
at bigskytv.org in order to gain access.
NAU Volleyball Live TV
NAU’s TV Services Department will be broadcasting all three
of the Lumberjacks’ matches this weekend. They can be seen
LIVE on the Universityhouse Channel (Dish Network 9411). Check
nauathletics.com for further television information. Mitch
Strohman, the “Voice of the Lumberjacks,” will be
handling play-by-play duties with Sharon Falor doing color
commentary. Jordan Byrd will serve as the play-by-play for
Saturday’s match.
FOX Sports Arizona, on DirectTV channel 686 and Dish Network
channel 415, will offer tape delayed airings of NAU matches against
The Citadel and Utah State on Wednesday Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. and
7:30 p.m., respectively.
Sign of Things to Come
NAU has hit .165 as a team for the 2009 season. In their last four
matches, the Lumberjacks have continued to improve at the most
important time of the year. NAU has hit a combined .201 against
Sacramento State, Northern Colorado, Montana, and Montana State.
Even more impressive is three of the four matches were played on
the road. In their last match at Montana State, NAU posted a
hitting percentage of .319, its second-highest total on the year
and highest away from Flagstaff.
Dallmann in Rare Company
Freshman Kelli Dallmann is one of two players in Division I
Women’s volleyball to average two kills, three assists, and
two digs per set. Dallmann has shown her versatility this season
moving back and forth between outside hitter and setter.
Top 10’s
NAU has at least one player in the top 10 in five of the seven
statistical categories within the Big Sky Conference during league
play. Freshman Anna Gott is third in digs (4.14 dpg) and tied for
third in service aces (0.36 sapg). Sophomore Katie Bailey ranks
fifth in blocks (1.14 bpg) and senior Jana Mays-Robinson sits
eighth in assists (7.20 apg). Redshirt freshman Ashley Ames ranks
10th in kills (2.93 kpg).
Freshmen Five
Anna Gott, Kelli Dallman, and Lauren Campbell are the only
Lumberjacks to start all 13 matches and appear in all 50 sets.
Gott, Dallman, and Campbell are three of NAU’s five true
freshmen who have seen significant playing time this fall. Ashley
Ames, in her redshirt freshman year, is second on the team with
0.81 blocks per set.
Series History
The Lumberjacks are 20-31 all-time against Eastern Washington in a
series dating back to 1986. NAU split with the Eagles last year.
The Lumberjacks hold a 15-11 lead over Portland State who first
played in 1996. The Lumberjacks were 15-2 against the Vikings, but
have since lost nine straight.
Portland State (11-6, 5-1 Big Sky Conference)
The Vikings are on a four-match win streak and are now locked for
a three-way first place tie in the Big Sky Conference standings.
Portland State has played three home matches (3-0) and two on the
road (1-1). Last weekend the Vikings played a rare non-conference
game during the Big Sky season with a 3-1 win over Seattle.
Portland State faced Eastern Washington as well and defeated the
Eagles 3-1. The Bears are hitting .226 as a team and limiting
opponents to a .173 percentage. Junior Whitney Phillips leads the
Big Sky Conference in kills.
Players to
Watch
Whitney Phillips 5-10, OH, Jr. (4.55 kpg, 2.12 dpg)
Marija Vojnovic 5-9, OH, Sr. (2.24 kpg, 2.79 dpg)
Nique Fradella 5-9, S, Sr. (10.84 apg, 1.83 dpg)
Eastern Washington (11-6, 5-1 Big Sky
Conference)
The Eagles have been atop the Big Sky standings for the past two
weeks and slipped into a tie with Portland State and Northern
Colorado after being upset last week by the Vikings at home.
Eastern Washington has played four of its six conference matches at
home and has won all four splitting its road matches so far. The
Eagles are hitting .192 as a team and have allowed their opponents
to hit only .177. The Eagles have at least one player in the top 10
of every statistical category listed by the Big Sky this fall.
Players to
Watch
Hayley Hills 5-11, OH, Sr. (3.54 kpg, 2.51 dpg)
Chenoa Coviare 6-1, MB, Jr. (2.70 kpg, 1.13 kpg)
Ashley Hamilton 6-0, MB, Sr. (8.92 apg, 1.40 dpg)
