Weber State University Athletics
Thursday, April 1
Greeley, CO
4:00 pm
Weber State University
17-1,16-1Big Sky
3
vs
1
No. 5 Northern Arizona
10-6,10-5Big Sky
1
2
3
4
F
Northern Ariz.
25
14
12
17
1
Weber St.
23
25
25
25
3
'Cats defeat Lumberjacks, advance to Big Sky Conference Championship match
4/1/2021 7:53:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
GREELEY, CO - The Wildcats competed against the Lumberjacks in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Championships on Thursday, April 1st, and downed NAU 3-1. Though the 'Cats started out slow in the first set, they found their rhythm in set two, and dominated the Lumberjacks.
"I'm proud of my player's resilience and composure," said head coach, Jeremiah Larsen. "It's been an area of emphasis all year that we manage our ebbs and flows and not get too emotional."
The Wildcats and Lumberjacks were evenly matched up in the semifinals of the Big Sky Volleyball Conference Championships. The first set showed just how close, as the score increased one point at a time on either side for the entire set. There were a total of nine instances where the score was tied in the first set. Towards the end of the set, the Wildcats and Lumberjacks were tied 19-19, when Dani Nay found two explosive kills to make it 21-19. Northern Arizona then worked their way back to tie the set up 21-21. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the Lumberjacks pulled out the victory in the first set 23-25.
Going into the second set, Larsen said, "We challenged our players to serve tougher so we could defend easier. We made some adjustments with our block and made sure we stayed composed."
Weber State came out with more intensity in the second set, starting out with five straight points to make it 5-0 against Northern Arizona. The Wildcats found their rhythm in the second set, especially in serving, and went up on the Lumberjacks 19-13 halfway through. Rylin Adams stepped up to serve late in the set at 22-14, and led the Wildcats to the set win.
The Wildcats really hit their stride in the third set, gaining a quick 8-1 lead on the Lumberjacks. Weber State not only controlled the tempo early in the set, but also did a good job of controlling errors. Northern Arizona made more errors, and Weber State capitalized on it, finding a wide lead in the score. Toward the end of the set, Northern Arizona was able to score a few more points, but the Wildcats rallied and finished it off 25-12.
Weber State continued to execute in the fourth set, looking like a well-oiled machine. The Lumberjacks didn't make it easy, however, and did all they could to thwart the Wildcat offense. Weber State finished the set 25-17 against Northern Arizona to knock them out of the tournament and advance to the final round.
Rylin Adams led the Wildcats in kills, racking up 19 with a .214 hitting percentage. Sam Schiess had 12 kills with a .455 hitting percentage, and Dani Nay had 12 with a .194 hitting percentage. Dani Nay and Makayla Sorensen both had two aces, and Sam Schiess led the team with six blocks. Ashlyn Power had 46 assists, and Makayla Sorensen had 23 digs.
"Of course we are excited to be in the final for the second year in a row. It's going to be a grind whoever we get, and we look forward to the opportunity to keep competing," said Larsen.
The Wildcats will play in the Big Sky Tournament Championship match on Friday, April 2nd at 8:00 pm against the winner of Northern Colorado and Southern Utah.
Go Wildcats!
"I'm proud of my player's resilience and composure," said head coach, Jeremiah Larsen. "It's been an area of emphasis all year that we manage our ebbs and flows and not get too emotional."
The Wildcats and Lumberjacks were evenly matched up in the semifinals of the Big Sky Volleyball Conference Championships. The first set showed just how close, as the score increased one point at a time on either side for the entire set. There were a total of nine instances where the score was tied in the first set. Towards the end of the set, the Wildcats and Lumberjacks were tied 19-19, when Dani Nay found two explosive kills to make it 21-19. Northern Arizona then worked their way back to tie the set up 21-21. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the Lumberjacks pulled out the victory in the first set 23-25.
Going into the second set, Larsen said, "We challenged our players to serve tougher so we could defend easier. We made some adjustments with our block and made sure we stayed composed."
Weber State came out with more intensity in the second set, starting out with five straight points to make it 5-0 against Northern Arizona. The Wildcats found their rhythm in the second set, especially in serving, and went up on the Lumberjacks 19-13 halfway through. Rylin Adams stepped up to serve late in the set at 22-14, and led the Wildcats to the set win.
The Wildcats really hit their stride in the third set, gaining a quick 8-1 lead on the Lumberjacks. Weber State not only controlled the tempo early in the set, but also did a good job of controlling errors. Northern Arizona made more errors, and Weber State capitalized on it, finding a wide lead in the score. Toward the end of the set, Northern Arizona was able to score a few more points, but the Wildcats rallied and finished it off 25-12.
Weber State continued to execute in the fourth set, looking like a well-oiled machine. The Lumberjacks didn't make it easy, however, and did all they could to thwart the Wildcat offense. Weber State finished the set 25-17 against Northern Arizona to knock them out of the tournament and advance to the final round.
Rylin Adams led the Wildcats in kills, racking up 19 with a .214 hitting percentage. Sam Schiess had 12 kills with a .455 hitting percentage, and Dani Nay had 12 with a .194 hitting percentage. Dani Nay and Makayla Sorensen both had two aces, and Sam Schiess led the team with six blocks. Ashlyn Power had 46 assists, and Makayla Sorensen had 23 digs.
"Of course we are excited to be in the final for the second year in a row. It's going to be a grind whoever we get, and we look forward to the opportunity to keep competing," said Larsen.
The Wildcats will play in the Big Sky Tournament Championship match on Friday, April 2nd at 8:00 pm against the winner of Northern Colorado and Southern Utah.
Go Wildcats!
Team Stats
NAU
Weber
Kills
40
56
Errors
27
19
Attempts
159
144
Hitting %
.082
.257
Points
50
71
Assists
39
52
Aces
3
6
Blocks
7
9
Game Leaders
Kills
19
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OH/L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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