FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- After a close first-set win, the Northern Arizona volleyball team pulled away from Montana State in the second and third sets to complete a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-18, 25-18) on Thursday at Rolle Activity Center.
Senior Kelli Dallmann and freshman Janae Vander Ploeg each had 10 kills and the Lumberjacks held the Bobcats to a .084 hitting percentage to improve to 5-2 in the Big Sky and 13-3 overall. Montana State dropped to 10-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
“We don’t win that many matches in three sets, so it’s really nice,” NAU head coach Craig Choate said. “I think it helps you as a team when you beat someone in three and are able to move on. I thought Montana State played well, but we just played better tonight.”
The Bobcats hit below .100 in two of the three sets and had no player with six or more kills that hit better than .150. NAU hit .236 and posted a 10-6 advantage in blocks as the Bobcats committed 28 attack errors. Vander Ploeg added eight digs and four blocks to her stat line while sophomore Sydney Kemper totaled six kills and a match-best five blocks.
The first set was the most competitive, as it featured 14 ties and five lead changes. Neither team led by more than two points until the set was deadlocked at 18-18, at which point the Lumberjacks used a 5-1 run to take a 23-19 lead. The Bobcats got back to within 23-21, but consecutive kills by Vander Ploeg and freshman Payton Bock gave the opening stanza to the home team.
There were eight ties and three lead changes in the second set as the teams again played to an early stalemate with the set level at 13-13. After taking a slim 16-15 lead, Northern Arizona went on a 6-1 run to open a comfortable 22-16 advantage. Montana State could get no closer than a five point deficit for the duration as another Vander Ploeg kill ended the set and gave the Lumberjacks a 2-0 lead.
NAU never trailed in the third set, jumping to a 4-0 lead and extending to a 9-4 advantage. The Bobcats would get back to even at 13-13, however, and trailed just 16-15 after the media timeout. The Lumberjacks, who hit a match-high .323 in the third set, pulled away from there with a 5-1 run to take a 21-16 lead. With a 22-18 advantage, NAU got a kill from Bock, a service ace by senior Jen Wilson, and a Bobcat attack error to claim the set and the match.
In two home matches this season, the Lumberjacks have held both their opponents to a hitting percentage below .100. They will return to their home floor at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Montana, which dropped to 3-13 overall and 1-6 in the Big Sky with a 3-0 loss on Thursday at Southern Utah.
