Coconino News

Northern Arizona University Athletics issued the following annoucement on Aug. 20.

The journey over the next four months will surely have its share of highs and lows, but for the Northern Arizona volleyball team, the path to a Big Sky Championship can be seen through the eventual hills and valleys.

Yes, the 2021 Lumberjacks will continue to be a team of youth. But yes, their skill is in abundance.

"I feel really good about the athletes that we have in our gym and the way that we're working," said head coach Ken Murphy. "This is the most talented group of players that we've had and at an early point in the year, I think we're really focused on playing a style of volleyball that can result in success long-term and possibly lead to a championship. Considering how many underclassmen we rely on, it's been fun to see them grasp onto things so fast."

In the most unusual spring season that consisted of just league matches, the Lumberjacks – playing all five of their true freshmen in significant roles – compiled a 9-5 regular season mark that landed them in the top of the Big Sky. After a first round sweep of Sacramento State, NAU went toe-to-toe with Weber State, the eventual conference champions, before bowing out in the semifinals with a 10-6 spring record.

While the spring was devoid of fans and players wore masks during play, the uniqueness of the spring season did not overshadow the bright future that NAU has ahead of itself.

Middle blockers Savannah Bloom and Jordan Elder, setter Kate Hatch, outside hitter Lyla Hollis and libero Millie O'Ketter were crucial components of the Lumberjacks' success last spring as freshmen in what essentially amounted to a redshirt year. As a result of COVID-19, all players were granted an extra year of eligibility, meaning that while all five players will entering their second seasons, they still have four remaining.

Elder and Bloom were the Lumberjacks' top two blockers in terms of average at 1.07 and 0.86 respectively, while Hatch averaged 4.43 assists per set. In addition to ranking third on the team with 2.10 kills per set, Hollis was electric at the service line totaling a team-best 29 aces in 16 matches. Meanwhile, O'Ketter led the team with 4.03 digs per set playing all 61 sets at libero.

As impressive as NAU's freshmen were last year though, this fall's squad begins with junior Taylor Jacobsen, who returns for her third season as an All-Big Sky first teamer. Jacobsen was not only prolific – ranking second in the league with 3.93 kills per set – but she was effective hitting .258 – the best clip by an NAU outside hitter since Janae Vander Ploeg hit .282 in 2015.

"Taylor is a lot more aware of getting back to her game sooner when she gets away from it," Murphy said. "She's aware of what makes her game successful and how to control it. Now, she can put those things into a leadership role. She's a tough competitor and she's demanding of herself first, so that gives her a lot of credibility within our group. I just see someone who is a little smarter in the game, a little more mature and a lot more confident as a leader."

The difference between Jacobsen's freshman campaign and last spring was evident in the numbers as her offensive stats took leaps forward. In her first year, Jacobsen averaged 2.68 kills and hit .191 in comparison to her spring stats.

However, NAU hopes to maximize Jacobsen's presence with a balanced offensive attack with a spread distribution across the net from its two setters, senior Aubrea Bandfield and Hatch.

"The big difference between this team and the last couple of years is that we're able to spread the ball across the court and get offense out of it," Murphy said. "Part of it is the athletes we have in our gym, and part of it is our setters are just better at locating difficult sets. I don't think we're going to be one-dimensional. Taylor is our top returning player in terms of offensive production, but I think we're going to have balance and it's going to be hard for teams to key on one piece of our team."

Complementing Jacobsen at the left and right pins will be a combination of Hollis, senior Ryann Davis and redshirt junior Morgan Gappmayer among others, while the Lumberjacks aim to continue to see the growth in the middle from the trio of Bloom, Elder and junior Neche Newton.

NAU's offense may garner the headlines, but ultimately the Lumberjacks' success will come down to their hallmark defense. The Lumberjacks have both of their liberos from the last two years in O'Ketter and junior Jasmine West in the fold, as well as an ever-evolving block to build on a defense that landed in the top two of the Big Sky in opponent hitting percentage for the third consecutive season in the spring.

"Coming out of last year, we put a lot of emphasis in balancing out our offense and getting more production on that side, but we know at the end of the day our mentality revolves around scoring when we have serve, defense and being a good blocking team," Murphy said. "The big focus we've had during two-a-days have been turning plays into better swings and offense out of transition. You can see our team grasping that. Last year, we were really aggressive and we held teams to a low percentage, but this year you'll starting to see us turn those opportunities into points faster."

 Original source can be found here.