FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The Northern Arizona volleyball team plays its first home matches of the season on Friday and Saturday, hosting Houston Baptist, Liberty and Loyola Marymount in the Lumberjack Classic.
NAU will play Houston Baptist at 6 p.m. on Friday and then plays twice on Saturday, vs. Liberty at noon and Loyola Marymount at 7 p.m. The game vs. Loyola Marymount will be televised live on FOX Sports Arizona Plus, and the game vs. Liberty will be aired on tape delay on FOX Sports Arizona on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 4 p.m.
NAU went 2-1 in season-opening play last weekend at the James Madison tournament, defeating Lehigh and St. Francis Brooklyn in straight sets and losing in five sets to James Madison. Janae Vander Ploeg averaged 4.55 kills and 3.91 digs per set to earn a place on the all-tournament team along with teammate Lauren Jacobsen.
Houston Baptist (4-0) and Liberty (3-0) both arrive in Flagstaff with unbeaten records, while Loyola Marymount is 1-1, but its victory came over 20th-ranked UCLA.
"Going into this weekend, we know we'll have to raise our level," NAU coach Ken Murphy said. "All of the teams coming in are really good, and for us to have the success we want to have we can't just rely on home court advantage. It'll be an important gauge because these teams are a good reflection of the top of the Big Sky -- and maybe a little stronger than that -- and if we can have success this weekend, it'll tell us that we're a little further ahead. If we have some challenges, we'll know what we need to address."
