VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN BIG SKY OPENER AT NORTHERN ARIZONA
9/25/2008
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Northern Arizona snapped an eight-match losing streak against Sacramento State that dated back to 2003 as the Lumberjacks defeated the Hornets, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-19), in a Big Sky Conference volleyball match Thursday evening at the Rolle Activity Center.
The contest marked the Big Sky opener for Sacramento State as the team lost its opening conference match for the first time in 11 years. The Hornets, who field a roster that consists of nine underclassmen, dropped to 2-13 overall and saw their losing streak extend to 11 matches long. Sacramento State has yet to win a match in the month of September as the team’s last victory came on Aug. 30 against Louisiana-Monroe.
Northern Arizona, off to its best start since 1991, improved to 10-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Sky with the victory. Sacramento State is still 25-7 all-time against Northern Arizona, including 9-6 in Flagstaff. Prior to tonight, the Hornets had outscored the Lumberjacks in sets, 24-1, in the last eight meetings between the two teams.
Sacramento State and Northern Arizona played even throughout the majority of each set, but the Hornets struggled in the waning moments of all three frames. In fact, the Lumberjacks closed each set on substantial runs, including 7-2, 7-1, and 6-1, at the conclusion of sets 1-3, respectively.
The Hornets struggled to generate any kind of consistent offensive production, as the team finished the match with a .045 hitting percentage, including 36 kills with 30 errors in 132 attacks. The Hornets had just two players finish the match with better than five kills, and those were senior Desiree Hoyum (11 kills, six digs and three blocks) and freshman Eryn Kirby (eight kills, five digs).
The Hornets finished with 6.0 team blocks, including three each from Hoyum, senior Rose Burke and sophomore Maddison Thivierge. Burke also finished the match with 30 assists and 10 digs, the third straight match with double-figure digs for the fourth-year senior. Libero Katie Van Der Wende had a team-best 17 digs, her fourth highest total of the season.
For Northern Arizona, Lexi Sullivan led all players with 13 kills while Emily Osiadacz added nine kills and a .400 hitting percentage, and Sam Hodgkins had six kills without an error to go along with a match-high five blocks. NAU libero Brittany Sowers, who leads the nation with 6.23 digs per set, finished with a match-high 21 digs.
NAU had a .224 hitting percentage (37-13-207), finishing the match with 17 less errors than the Hornets despite taking 25 fewer swings. Three different Lumberjack players hit .400 or better while the Hornets had just two players hit better than .210 – freshmen Olivia Moss (.400) and Kelsey Elston (.333). Elston had five kills with just one error in 12 swings, to go along with two blocks.
Sacramento State concludes its longest stretch of the season away from home when it returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 27 for a match at Northern Colorado at 6 p.m. PDT. That will mark the end of a stretch that has seen the Hornets play nine consecutive matches away from the friendly confines. The team will finally be back at home next week when it takes on Big Sky foes Idaho State (Oct. 3) and Weber State (Oct. 4).
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Northern Arizona snapped an eight-match losing streak against Sacramento State that dated back to 2003 as the Lumberjacks defeated the Hornets, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-19), in a Big Sky Conference volleyball match Thursday evening at the Rolle Activity Center. 
