Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
at Northern Arizona
Still looking for Big Sky win, WSU falls to NAU
10/16/2015 5:40:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Weber State claimed the first of four sets but couldn't claim the next three and fell to Northern Arizona Thursday night with scores of 26-24, 25-22, 25-15 and 25-18.
"This one stings a bit," head coach Jeremiah Larsen said. "I am extremely proud of the way we played tonight. It was exciting to see that we can compete against the best of our conference."
Weber State started the match with a kill by Megan Thompson. The Wildcats and Lumberjacks went back and forth until the match was tied at 19-19. A kill by Amanda Varley, a service ace by Taylor Christensen-Kinikini, and a kill by Tanisha Langston gave the Wildcats a 22-19 lead. Weber State fell behind 24-23 but Ciera Borho stepped up with a kill tying the match. An error by NAU and kill by Langston finished the game giving Weber State the 26-24 victory.
There were eight lead changes in the first set as well as 18 tied scores. Weber State had 13 kills in the first set for a .333 percentage while NAU had 11 kills and a .100 percentage.
The intensity between the two teams remained high in the second set. The Wildcats had a 14-11 lead over the Lumberjacks and maintained a two point lead until NAU tied it up at 18-18. NAU finally took the lead after that and never backed down by claiming the second set 25-22.
The Wildcats kept fighting in the third set and kept the match close. With the set tied at 10-10. The Lumberjacks ended the third set on a 15-5 run for an end score of 25-15. The Wildcats hit only .036 during the third set. WSU trailed two sets to one going into the fourth set.
In the fourth set of play Weber State dropped to a 6-0 deficit. A kill by Andrea Hale put the Wildcats on the board for the first time but Weber State couldn't find any footing in the fourth and final set of the match and fell 25-18.
"For the first time in a while we played with pride," Larsen said. "Hopefully we can build on tonight as we develop our confidence."
Weber State was led by Thompson who had 12 kills and 26 attacks for a .308 percentage. Varley added 10 kills while Borho added nine. Christensen-Kinikini had 35 assists. Thamires Cavalcanti had five assists and the game high of 18 digs. Tanisha Langston had a .231 percentage on the night and contributed eight digs. Jesse Hover also added eight digs. Christensen-Kinikini, Thompson and Anne Corrigan each had one block. Weber State had nine team blocks on the night.
The Wildcats are now 5-13 overall on the season and 1-6 in the Big Sky Conference. Southern Utah is next up for the Wildcats on Saturday night. The Wildcats will then return home for five consecutive matches including one non-conference match against in-state rival Utah Valley.
