Following a tough loss against the Big Sky leading North Dakota Fighting Hawks, Southern Utah looked to obtain their first conference win against Northern Arizona Saturday night. Despite a strong performance from MaCail Evans who had 11 kills and a .321 hitting percentage for the night, Northern Arizona claimed the win in four sets.
The Lumberjacks pounced right at the beginning of the match and quickly gained a 7-2 advantage. Aided by their .351 hitting percentage in the first set, Northern Arizona won the first set 25-19.
In the second set, the Thunderbirds began to find their footing and slow down the attacking Lumberjacks. They hung close keeping the score tied halfway through the set at 12-12. Evans played a huge role for Southern Utah in this set by hitting five kills. Eventually, though, it wasn’t enough as Northern Arizona pulled away and won it 25-21.
In the final set, the Thunderbirds hung close but the Lumberjacks gained an early lead and never relinquished it. A key player for Northern Arizona throughout this match was outside hitter Kaylie Jorgenson. Jorgenson had 15 kills for the match along with a .308 hitting percentage.
The Lumberjacks won the third set 25-21 to seal the win.
The Thunderbirds next appearance will be against the Wildcats of Weber State. Match play will begin at 7 p.m. MT Thursday night. This will be Southern Utah’s first road conference game of the season.
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