ARCATA — One tournament does not a season make, but two tough events in consecutive weeks can leave an impression a team's confidence level. Humboldt State volleyball will try to bounce back from an 0-4 performance at last week's opening tournament when the Jacks travel to participate in the California Clash hosted by San Francisco State this weekend.
HSU takes the court Friday for an 11:30 a.m. match against Dominican University, then returns to action at 4:30 p.m. against Notre Dame de Namur. Saturday's schedule features Humboldt State against Saint Martin's at 9 a.m. and a 4:30 p.m. battle against Hawaii Pacific.
Head-to-Head
After falling to Dominican for the first time at last week's Seawolf Spike, the Jacks hold a 6-1 advantage all-time. …HSU has lost its only previous contest against Notre Dame de Namur. …Humboldt State has never defeated Hawaii Pacific, trailing 0-5 in the historical series. …The Jacks are 7-10 against Saint Martin's, the most recent match a 3-0 HSU win in 2005.
LiveStats
Live statistics for all HSU home matches can be accessed at http://livestats.internetconsult.com/humboldt/wvball/ while the event is in progress. Availability for this weekend's tournament on the road is uncertain at presstime.
Lumberjack Notes
Officially out for the season is HSU senior Toni Kroeker, who sustained an injury during the offseason that is sufficiently limiting to keep her from playing. Kroeker was a key player for the Jacks a year ago, averaging a team-high 1.23 blocks per game. …Lack of depth caused by inexperience was obvious in the opening weekend, and veterans Danielle Wells and Jo Arzadon will be asked to assume more roles to help address the issue, HSU head coach Sue Woodstra said. “We usually had Danielle in there for three rotations, but now she's forced to stay in for five,” Woodstra said. “Jo is all over the place. She's the kind of athlete who can do that for you and really pick a team up.” …Humboldt State's block was extremely solid in the first four matches, and the Jacks led the tourney as a team with 39.5 blocks. The next closest total was host Sonoma State's 26. …”We blocked well, which was nice to see,” Woodstra said. “We still have to get on the same tactical page with our blocking to be effective overall.” …Individually, Wells ranked second among tournament players with 17 total blocks, including five solos. Her career total is now 291 blocks, leaving the senior in position to pass the 300 mark this week.
Opponent Notes
Dominican completed its opening weekend with a 1-3 record, the lone win coming against the Lumberjacks. As a team, Dominican ranked fourth in the tourney field in aces, averaging 2.03 per game at Sonoma State's Seawolf Spike. …Notre Dame de Namur dropped all four of its matches at the Seawolf Spike last week, falling to CSU Stanislaus, Sonoma State, San Francisco State and Chico State. Sophomore outside hitter Christina Villamayor led the Argonauts in kills in three of the four matches. …Hawaii Pacific posted a 1-2 record last week, defeating Cal State East Bay and Adelphi, but falling to Montana State Billings. The Seasiders put up a tidy .206 hitting percentage, led by Kelly Balanay's 39 kills and .370 percentage. …Saint Martin's University opens its season this week, and will have four scheduled matches prior to facing the Lumberjacks. The Saints were 4-21 overall in 2008.
Woodstra's Words
“We knew we wouldn't be deep this season, but that offers some of the younger players a chance to show what they can do. This level represents a step up for them and they'll have to get used to it. The serve is tougher, and the block is bigger. We'll definitely talk to the players about their response to that.” …”We are a work in progress and should keep improving. There were many times when we saw bursts of really nice volleyball last weekend.”
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.
