Pair of Matches for Volleyball on the Road
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Northern
Arizona volleyball travels to Weber State and Idaho State this
weekend with matches scheduled for Friday, October, 30 and
Saturday, October 31 both with 6 p.m. start times. The Lumberjacks
defeated Weber State (3-1) earlier in the year at home but fell
later that same weekend to Idaho State (3-1).
“I think we can beat both teams but it won’t be
easy,” said head coach Craig Choate. “We talked about
how the window could open against Sacramento State and we
didn’t do it. It was disappointing after Thursday’s
match. The girls were down. But Montana State beat Montana this
past weekend. If we win two and Montana loses two, we are in a tie
for fourth place.
Fourth place is everything. If you are not winning all your
matches you have to find some things to hang on to. I think it is
going to be a hard weekend but we still have a chance. If they
can’t get up for this we are in trouble.”
NAU (6-12, 3-6 BSC) dropped an important 3-1 decision to
Sacramento State on Thursday, but the Big Sky Conference is far
from locked up. The Lumberjacks are currently in sixth place and
this weekend’s matches will likely determine whether the
postseason is a real possibility.
“We got lucky with Montana State and the window is open
again,” Choate said of Montana State’s upset win over
Montana. “The problem is our matches are on the road against
good teams at home. Weber is a good team at home. It is Halloween
the night of Idaho State so that will be a circus.”
NAU plays Weber State (5-17, 3-7 BSC) on Friday, October 30 after
defeating the Wildcats earlier this year at home.
Following Friday’s contest, NAU immediately travels to Idaho
State (9-13, 3-7 BSC) on Saturday, October 31. The Idaho State
match in September marked the last appearance for the
Lumberjacks’ star outside hitter Lexi Sullivan who left after
the second set with a season-ending injury.
“We are playing incredibly hard,” said Choate.
“We are not flat. But we are freshmen and make mistakes. We
serve out when we are over 20 points. We hit long instead of
hitting it into the court and letting it get blocked or dug. This
is stuff we will grow out of eventually.”
The Lumberjacks are 2-4 on the road this year and 1-2 in
conference play. NAU beat Montana State 3-0 in Bozeman in their
first Big Sky road win.
Live Stats and Webcast
For this weekend's matches live stats will be available
through www.isubengals.com
on Friday and www.weberstatesports.com on
Saturday. Click these links to be redirected to Idaho
State’s Live Stats and Weber
State’s Live Stats. Select the specific game and the link
to live stats will appear. A free webcast will be available
through Big Sky TV at www.bigskytv.org.
Click the previous link and follow instructions to register.
Big Sky Three Dot
Information
The race for the Big Sky title is closing in with only
four weeks remaining in the regular season ... NAU and Northern
Colorado are back on the road this week ... The Wildcats and the
Bengals are back home and will be hosting the Lumberjacks and the
Bears on Friday and Saturday ...Montana State picked up its first
conference win in a big way last week. The Bobcats upset
longtime rival, and fourth-place team, Montana on Friday night in
Missoula, Mont. It snapped a 44-match conference losing streak and
was the Bobcats’ first conference victory since the 2006
season ... Eastern Washington’s Ashley Hamilton tied an NCAA
single-match record, and broke a Big Sky record, on Friday. The
junior setter hit a perfect 12-of-12 from the floor to set the mark
... Northern Colorado also kept some streaks alive last week. The
Bears beat Air Force for the second time this season, and fifth in
a row on Tuesday. They closed out the week with their
sixth-straight win over the Hornets at home ... The Eagles, Vikings
and Bears are still tied atop of the standings with just two losses
... This week features Portland State at Montana on Friday in a key
matchup, while Eastern Washington plays the Grizzlies on Saturday
... The Bobcats will also be looking for their second win, or
upset, of the conference season against the No. 1 teams ...
Sacramento State takes on non-conference opponent Pacific on
Tuesday evening in its only match of the week.
Taking Shape
The NAU Lumberjacks are currently in sixth place in the
Big Sky Conference with seven conference matches remaining on the
schedule. With the exception of Sacramento State, the Lumberjacks
still have to play the rest of the Big Sky Conference and have an
opportunity to return to the conference championships for the 14th
time in school history.
Against Sacramento State
The Lumberjacks dropped 3-1 decision to the Hornets, a
match closer than the score indicated. NAU led every set past the
15th point except the first, but were unable to close out sets.
Kobi Christensen recorded a team high 15 kills hitting .300 for the
match while Kelli Dallmann posted her seventh double-double with 21
assist and 13 kills hitting a career-high .476.
NAU Upsets Eastern Washington
The Lumberjacks defeated first place Eastern Washington
3-2 on Thursday night after winning the first two sets, dropping
the next two, but picking up the victory in the fifth set.
Sophomore Kobi Christensen paced the Lumberjacks with a career-high
17 kills and .286 hitting percentage. Kelli Dallman recorded a
double-double with 24 assists and 14 digs.
Sign of Things to Come
NAU has hit .171 as a team for the 2009 season. In their
last three matches, the Lumberjacks continue to show the
improvements of a young team coming together. Despite a 1-2 record,
NAU has hit a combined .202 in its last three matches. In their
last road match at Montana State, NAU posted a hitting percentage
of .319, its second-highest total on the year and highest away from
Flagstaff.
Series History
The Lumberjacks moved to 30-26 all-time against Weber
State snapping a three-match losing streak. The Lumberjacks are
26-27 all-time against Idaho State. The Bengal’s win earlier
this fall snapped a five-straight win streak for NAU.
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 sixth in digs (4.18 dpg) and
service aces (0.32 sapg). Jana Mays-Robinson sits eighth in assists
(6.72 apg). Redshirt freshman Ashley Ames ranks eighth in hitting
percentage (.293).
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.
1,166
In its match against Northern Colorado, the Lumberjacks
welcomed one of their biggest attendance figures in program history
with 1,166 spectators. The crowd was aided by Family Weekend and
the Northern Colorado football team.
The Young Get Younger
The Northern Arizona volleyball roster consists of 11
freshmen and sophomores. Junior Chelsea Cheeley and senior Jana
Mays-Robinson are the only upperclassmen on the 2009 roster. During
the conference season, the Lumberjacks have started six freshmen
and one sophomores (including freshman libero Anna Gott).
Triple-Double Dallmann
Freshman Kelli Dallmann recorded her first-career triple
double and the first for any Lumberjack player this fall. Dallmann,
from Peoria, Ariz., collected 17 assists, 14 kills, and 14 digs in
a 3-1 loss to Idaho State in the conference opener. Dallmann is
second on the team in kills (2.09kpg), assists (2.12 apg) and digs
(2.02 dpg).
Media/Practice Information
The Lumberjacks will practice Monday-Wednesday this week
from 2-4:30 p.m. in the Rolle Activity Center. Media wishing to
attend practice should contact Joe Scacco at 928-523-6330 or
joseph.scacco@nau.edu.
History
What is the history of Northern Arizona volleyball? We're
glad you asked. Going back to the old AIAW days, NAU has been a
player in women's intercollegiate athletics for 34 years. In its 22
years in the NCAA, NAU has posted nine winning seasons and 15 with
double digit wins. The Lumberjacks have reached the postseason 14
of the past 18 years. In 1999, NAU went to the NCAA tournament
suffering a 3-0 loss to No. 5 North Carolina.
