ARCATA — Seniors Danielle Wells and Dani Nelson will be honored for their contributions prior to Humboldt State's final home volleyball match of the season, scheduled for Saturday against No. 3 nationally ranked Cal State San Bernardino in Lumberjack Arena. First serve is set for 7 p.m.

HSU will also play Friday evening, taking on Cal Poly Pomona at 7 p.m. on the Jacks' home court. Following the weekend, the Jacks have only four road matches to play before finishing the 2009 campaign.

Head-to-Head

HSU is now 3-8 against Cal State San Bernardino after challenging but falling in three at CSUMB on Sept. 25. The Jacks also dropped both matches in three straight during the 2008 season. …Humboldt State pushed Cal Poly Pomona to four on the road earlier this season. In 2008 the Jacks lost a pair of 3-0 matches to the Broncos, who are now 12-1 all-time against Humboldt State.

 

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

Senior night will honor two solid contributors who have proven to be selfless team players throughout their Lumberjack careers. …Danielle Wells, one of the Jacks' captains, has made her mark on the program, taking over the Jacks' top spot in the record book for career blocks with 349 heading into the weekend's matches. Wells has been with the Jacks' program for the past four years, and currently has 530 kills to her credit. In 2007, Wells achieved a total of 128 blocks that stands as the program's single-season record. "For four years, (Wells) has been steady as a rock," HSU head coach Sue Woodstra said. "We've been known as a strong blocking team for a few years, and she's been a big part of that. It's very appropriate that she broke the school's career record. She's always read to play hard, and brings intensity to the court every time out." …Dani Nelson joined the Jacks last season after transferring from Clark College. She took over as the Jacks' libero, and recorded a team-high 408 digs during the 2008 season. When injuries plagued the Jacks even before the season began, Nelson shifted to an outside hitter position that would better support the team's goals. Nelson has responded with 160 kills thus far in 2009, while also putting up 20 blocks. " Dani has proven to be very versatile this fall," Woodstra said. "We really needed her to be this year, with Les (Kalbrener) being injured and our lack of depth. At times it can be hard for a JC player to step into a system for just a short time. She's done a nice job figuring out what our program is about and adding to it." …Wells returns to the lineup this week after being held out of both matches last weekend with illness. "As far as we know, everybody else is good to go," Woodstra said. "We're doing everything possible to stay healthy."

 

Opponent Notes

Cal Poly Pomona (9-14, 6-10)  is coming off a split of its two-match homestand. The Broncos defeated Cal State Stanislaus and fell to Chico State a week ago. …Elizabeth Diaz is the squad's top hitter, putting away 239 kills in 79 sets for a 3.02 kills-per-set average. Defensively, Lindsey Poulos tops the team with 74 kills and Audrey Driscoll has 244 digs. Setter Jasmine Davis is averaging 9.09 assists per set. …Cal State San Bernardino has ranked as high as No. 2 nationally this season, and currently sits in the No. 3 slot with a 22-1 overall record and 15-1 CCAA mark that gives the Coyotes a 1/2-game lead over UC San Diego for league leadership.…Junior Jane Chafeh was named CCAA Player of the Week for her efforts in helping Cal State San Bernardino defeat three opponents at home this past week. Chafeh totaled 50 kills and 24 digs and hit .267 with four solo blocks. She ranks No. 2 in the nation in kills per set.

 

Woodstra's Words

“Cal Poly Pomona is young this year, and not quite as consistent as a year ago. We're young also, so we know what that's like. We'll look for the areas we can exploit." … "We know what to expect from (CSUSB) the No. 3 ranked team in the country. We played them very well down there. We played very good defense. We'll be looking to do that again, to keep our head above water and give them as much of a battle as we can summon."

 

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.