ARCATA — Volleyball fans have three chances to see the Lumberjacks in action this week, beginning with Wednesday's match against travel partner Sonoma State. San Francisco State is in town Friday and Cal State Monterey Bay visits Saturday, with all three California Collegiate Athletic Association matches set for a 7 p.m. first serve.
Head-to-Head
Sonoma State leads the Lumberjacks, 30 wins to 22 in the all-time series. The Seawolves defeated the Lumberjacks in straight sets at Rohnert Park earlier this season. …Humboldt State grabbed a lead in the all-time series with CSU Monterey Bay, 4-3, by taking a five-set decision in Seaside on Sept. 18. …HSU is on the short end, historically, against San Francisco State with 18 wins to the Gators' 34. San Francisco State won in four on its home court in September.
LiveStats
Live statistics for all HSU home matches can be accessed at http://livestats.internetconsult.com/humboldt/wvball/ while the event is in progress. Play-by-play, individual statistics and other current information is displayed in real time.
Lumberjack Notes
Serving has been the wild card for HSU in recent matches, sometimes effective and other times destructive. During last weekend's two matches, the latter was more frequent, with HSU committing 25 service errors to its opponents' nine. "We start a streak, then miss a serve," HSU head coach Sue Woodstra said. "That makes it difficult to hold momentum. It also takes us out of what we're good at, which is blocking and defense." …Illustrating Woodstra's remarks are the conference statistical categories, which show the Jacks on top in team blocking with an average of 2.17 per set. Allison Drobish is tied for second among individuals at 0.93 blocks per set and Danielle Wells is fifth at 0.91. Humboldt State ranks fourth in league in digs with 15.80 per set, and Emily Nuss is seventh among individuals, averaging 3.76 digs. …HSU's offensive weaknesses are indicated in kills, and service aces, with the Jacks ranking 11th among 12 schools in both categories. …While no additional injuries have troubled the lineup, a round of flu has intermittently slowed some players.
Opponent Notes
Sonoma State has posted a 16-5 overall record and is 8-5 in the CCAA. The Seawolves have had mixed results lately, losing three of their last five matches. …Individually, Rikki Buckshnis ranks second in the league in hitting percentage at .345. Lindsay Brown averages .44 service aces per set, ranking her third in the CCAA, and Taylor Krenwinkel tops the league in digs with 4.79 per set. …San Francisco State carries a 15-6 overall record into the week, and is also 8-5 in league matches. Last weekend the Gators got past Cal State Stanislaus in five before falling in four sets to Chico State. …Beth Perkins has carried the bulk of the Gators' attack, with 318 kills in 982 attempts for an average of 3.83 per set. …Teamwise, the Gators rank second in league in digs with 16.40 per set. Five different players have more than 200 digs for the season, including Vanessa Shaw, who leads her team with 227. …CSU Monterey Bay has posted a 8-12 record and is 3-9 in the CCAA. The Otters snapped a three-match losing streak last week, defeating Cal State Stanislaus in five on the road Saturday. …Katie Bos' 261 is best among Otter players, and Rheann Fall has posted 3.71 kills per set. She also is the squad's best server, with 29 aces to date vs. only 11 service errors.
Woodstra's Words
“Three is a lot of matches to fit into a week, but I'm glad to be home. We'll get to sleep in our own beds and have a little more of a routine." … "Sonoma State has had a nice season. They're very solid and they've played evenly throughout conference." … "San Francisco State continues to show how much it has improved from last year."… "CSU Monterey Bay is right where we are – a team that has struggled some and is searching for consistency."
Lumberjack Links
Follow this link or paste it in your browser to access the current Lumberjack roster: http://hsujacks.com/roster.aspx?path=vball&. For current statistics following the weekend's matches, visit http://hsujacks.com/custompages/vball/2009/teamstat.htm?path=vball.
