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.
For any and all Thunderbird volleyball news, follow them on Twitterand Instagram along with liking them on Facebook.
