ARCATA — Following a brief two-match appearance at home, Humboldt State (5-5, 1-1) is back on the road this week as California Collegiate Athletic Association action continues.
Three tough matches await the Jacks on their swing through the Bay Area, which begins with Wednesday's 7 p.m. contest against Sonoma State (10-0, 2-0). HSU is back on the court Friday to face Cal State Monterey Bay (5-4, 1-1) at 7 p.m. in Seaside, then makes its way back to the Bay Area to battle San Francisco State (8-2, 1-1) at the same time Saturday.
Head-to-Head
Sonoma State leads the Lumberjacks, 29 wins to 22 in the all-time series. The Seawolves defeated the Lumberjacks twice in three straight sets during the 2008 season. …Humboldt State evened up the all-time series with CSU Monterey Bay, 3-3, by taking two matches in straight sets last year. …HSU is on the short end, historically, against San Francisco State with 18 wins to the Gators' 33
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
It all starts with serving, and the Jacks' success has definitely hinged upon that key component early this season. HSU had nine service errors in the loss to Cal State LA on Friday, and even in a defeat of CSU Dominguez Hills, HSU had many more (11) than Head Coach Sue Woodstra would prefer to witness. "Our serve was missing again, and our passing was spotty. Those are the basics we need to be more consistent with if we hope to prevail." …When the serve and passing allow it to happen, the Jacks' defense has been outstanding. Humboldt State continues to lead the CCAA in blocking with an average of 2.41 per set, and the Jacks are fifth in digs with a 14.45 average. …Redshirt freshman Allison Drobish continues to top the league in blocking with an average of 1.05 blocks per game. …One of HSU's most effective players in the early going, sophomore Lesley Kalbrener, was held out of last week's matches because of a knee injury. Kalbrener will be absent from this week's trip while her injury continues to heal. …This week's journey is the start of a five-match swing away from home. Humboldt State will begin a four-match homestand Oct. 2, also starting a stretch of nine out of 11 in Lumberjack Arena. …HSU's thin roster features only eight players who have seen court time out of nine active, and the wear and tear of the season's early matches is taking its toll. According to Woodstra, the Jacks are troubled by minor overuse injuries that they'll have to play through this week. "We're hurting a little right now," Woodstra said. "We have get through this part of the season and we should begin to heal. We're making the most of a short roster right now."
Opponent Notes
Sonoma State has blasted out of the blocks, going unbeaten overall and taking wins over Cal State LA and CSU Dominguez Hills to open league action last week. The Seawolves' 10-0 record is the program's best in school history. …SSU senior Lindsay Brown was named CCAA Player of the Week for her performance in last week's victories. Brown tallied 13 kills in 25 attacks with just one error (.480), while recording 71 assists and 14 digs. …CSU Monterey Bay is 5-4 overall, and has started league with a 1-1 record. Last week the Otters split, defeating CSU Stanislaus in three and falling to Chico State in five. …Rheann Fall is the Otters' offensive leader, averaging 4.36 kills per set. …San Francisco State has jumped out to a rapid start in the first two weekend's tournaments before splitting its CCAA matches last week. The Gators opened with a five-set loss to Chico State, then swept Cal State Stanislaus in three. …Beth Perkins is the Gators' big hitter, averaging 3.45 kills per set. Halimah Oswald tops the team in blocking with 23 thus far.
Woodstra's Words
“Sonoma State has been playing very well. They always have a deep roster, and this year is no exception." … "We saw Cal State Monterey Bay at the California Clash, and the have improved from last year. They are a better ball-handling team and much more consistent." … "San Francisco State is also a better team this year. It's the second year for that coaching staff, and they've done a good job of improving the program."
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.
