NAU middle blocker Ashley Ames winds up to send the ball over the net Nov. 5 against Montana State. Jennifer Hilderbrand / The Lumberjack

The NAU volleyball team (6-7 BSC, 9-13 overall) split last week’s matches, beating the ninth-ranked Montana State Bobcats (1-11 BSC, 3-19 overall) on Thursday and losing to the fourth-ranked University of Montana Grizzlies (7-6 BSC, 11-13 overall) on Saturday night.

In Thursday’s match against the Bobcats, NAU came out strong, cruising to a 25-14 win in the first set. The Lumberjacks kept composure in the second set as well, coming out on top with a 25-20 victory. Montana State responded in the third set, winning 25-21, but the Lumberjacks finished them off in the fourth set, winning 25-22.

“[NAU] started; they were enthusiastic,” said head coach Craig Choate “They played hard and all that kind of stuff, and then they kind of got that ‘we’re in control, 2-0’ thing. Unless you’re six-four or something, then you shouldn’t go down that road.”

Freshman outside hitter/setter Kelli Dallmann agreed.

“I think we just thought that [the win] was going to come easily,” said Dallmann said. “It didn’t, and they fought back [in the third set]. When we realized that they were going to fight back, we just picked up our game.”

Dallmann led all players with 16 kills, and she also recorded 21 assists and a .419 hitting percentage. However, with several players injured, NAU’s bench was crucial in the win. Freshman outside hitter Jen Wilson and redshirt freshman middle blocker
Ashley Ames each recorded 10 kills.

Sophomore outside hitter/setter Sam Hodgkins, who is recovering from an off-season shoulder surgery, also stepped up for the Lumberjacks.

“Sam has done a pretty good job coming in,” Choate said. “She’s had some great moments, some good moments…for someone who has sat for awhile, I think she’s doing okay.”

NAU's Lauren Campbell, 4, slams the ball at Montana State players on Nov. 5 at Rolle Activity Center. NAU won the match 3-1. Bryan Kinkade / The Lumberjack

In the second match of the weekend, NAU faced the University of Montana and league-leading hitterjunior Jaimie Thibeault. The Lumberjacks fell in three sets, with scores of 25-14 and 25-18 for the first two sets. The third set came down to the wire, but the Grizzlies pulled out a 25-23 win.

“It’s a little bittersweet,” said senior setter Jana Mays-Robinson. “We did lose, but toward the end I thought we hung right with them. They’re a good team.”

Mays-Robinson, who was recognized before the game for senior night, played her last match at home as a Lumberjack. She finished play with 11 assists and seven digs.

NAU now heads on the road for their last three matches against the top three teams in the conference: No. 1 Portland State, No. 2 Northern Colorado, and No. 3 Eastern Washington.

“We just have to keep going 100 percent in practice and try not to think about what they are ranked,” Mays-Robinson said. “We just have to take each game as it comes and play it point-by-point.”

Kelli Dallmann, 5, and Katie Bailey, 7, reach to block a spike from Montana State's player Kyla Hendry during NAU's match on Nov. 5. Bryan Kinkade / The Lumberjack