Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northern Arizona
Wildcats edged by Northern Arizona
9/19/2010 4:28:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
OGDEN, Utah - So close, yet so maddeningly far away.
That was the end result for the Weber State University women's volleyball team on Saturday night against Northern Arizona.
Nail-biting, two-point losses in the first and fourth set proved to be the difference at Swenson Gym as the Lumberjacks squeaked out a 3-1 victory (25-23, 20-25, 25-15, 25-23) over the host Wildcats.
Weber State did just about everything right, with ultimately just five kills separating the team from Northern Arizona and a likely win.
Sophomore middle blocker Carissa Noble had 11 kills on 20 attacks with just one error to finish the match with a .500 attack percentage. She also had four block assists, the four straight match she has had four or more total blocks.
Sophomore right side hitter Bethany Wray had 16 kills and 11 digs, along with a trio of block assists and three service aces.
Redshirt-freshman left side hitter Shanae Langston had seven kills and hit .238 on 21 attempts with five block assists, while redshirt-freshman middle blocker Elli Graff had six block assists.
Junior libero Nina Blake had 17 digs, with sophomore right side hitter Emily Jones adding nine kills and 11 digs, along with a pair of service aces.
The first set featured 15 ties and five lead changes. Weber State held a 22-21 advantage on a kill from Langston, but Northern Arizona scored three straight to go ahead 24-22. The Wildcats had 18 kills and hit .289 in the first set.
Weber State captured the second set by five, and led the third set 7-5 before Northern Arizona scored 11 consecutive points to ultimately take the set.
The fourth set had 16 ties and seven lead changes, and was the most heartbreaking of all for Weber State. Trailing 20-18, the Wildcats scored three straight points to take the 21-20 lead. The Lumberjacks scored three straight to take a 23-21 lead, with WSU cutting it to 23-22 and again to 24-23, but NAU captured the match on an attack error on the final play.
Weber State fell to 0-2 in Big Sky play, 2-11 overall with the loss. Northern Arizona improved to 1-1, 5-7.
The Wildcats will be back in action on the Big Sky road next weekend against Portland State and Eastern Washington.
