SEASIDE — Coming all the way back from a two-set deficit, Humboldt State rallied to claim a 19-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-13 win over Cal State Monterey Bay in a California Collegiate Athletic Association volleyball match played Friday.

Oceana Matsubu and Alison Drobish were a dynamic duo for Humboldt State, putting away 19 and 10 kills, respectively. Emily Nuss led six players in double-digit digs with 36, while Drobish contributed five block assists for HSU.

"It doesn't feel like this group gets down when they fall behind," HSU head coach Sue Woodstra said. "They actually start fighting harder, playing with more determination."

The win evens HSU's overall record at 6-6, and the Jacks improved to 2-2 in the CCAA heading into tomorrow's match at San Francisco State. The Otters fell to 5-6 on the season and are now 1-3 in league.

Setter Jo Arzadon finished off a tight fifth set with a kill to complete the Jacks' rally. They had grabbed an early lead in the deciding contest, but CSUMB rallied to tie it at 13-13 on a kill by Kerri Sudarsana.

Reann Fall paced the Otters with 23 kills, with both Sudarsana and Alisha Thomas adding 12. Fall also came up with 35 digs, one fewer than Nuss' match-high total.

Matsubu got the Jacks going in the opener, putting the ball down to cut the Otters' advantage to 21-19. But Fall responded for CSUMB, finishing a run of four straight points with consecutive kills to claim the set.

HSU fell behind by nine points early in the second set, and had to call timeout to try to break the Otters' momentum. The Jacks worked their way all the way back, tying the game at 23-23 on Danielle Wells' service ace, before an error and a kill by Sudarsana gave CSUMB the two-set lead.

"We were missing a cylinder in the first two games," Woodstra said. "Our serving and passing was much better in the fourth and fifth. We won most of the long rallies, which is really tough on your opponent."

Humboldt State nearly led from start to finish in the third set, the only exception coming when the Otters tied the score at 3-3. Great defense by Dani Nelson and Arzadon helped set up Matsubu's kill for the six-point win.

Keeping their form in the fourth set, the Jacks reeled off five straight points behind the service of Emily Nuss to take a 10-5 advantage. But Fall helped the Otters regain momentum, contributing a pair of kills during a four-point run that put CSUMB ahead, 14-13.

Just as quickly, the Jacks put together a surge of their own, taking the lead again a following a block by Drobish and Wells and a resounding kill from Drobish. The set remained tight until HSU finished it off with three straight points, tying the match at two each.

"(CSUMB) battles hard, and we knew it would be a hard-fought match," Woodstra said. "But we managed to clear up our hesitancy and cut down on the errors, which got a little rhythm going."

  Humboldt State def. CSUMB 19-25,23-25,25-19,25-22,15-13

  Humboldt State (6-6 (2-2 CCAA)) (Kills-aces-blocks) - MATSUBU, Oceana
  19-1-4; WELLS, Danielle 10-1-5; DROBISH, Allison 10-0-5; DUGAN,
  Caitlin 5-0-1; ARZADON, Joliann 3-2-3; NELSON, Dani 3-1-3; Totals
  50-5-12.0. (Assists) - ARZADON, Joliann 39. (Dig leaders) - NUSS,
  Emily 36; NELSON, Dani 23; ARZADON, Joliann 18; DUGAN, Caitlin 17;
  MATSUBU, Oceana 17; WELLS, Danielle 11

  CSUMB (5-6 (1-3 CCAA)) (Kills-aces-blocks) - FALL, Rheann 23-4-0;
  THOMAS, Alisha 12-0-0; SUDARSANA, Kerri 12-0-1; WARD, Kami 8-0-2;
  HANNA, Elizabeth 6-1-1; RIGGS, Tifaney 5-0-3; GRIMM, Dana 2-2-0;
  SHACKLOCK, Lauren 1-0-0; SENA, Monique 0-2-0; BOS, Katie 0-2-0; LUCAS,
  Dionna 0-3-0; Totals 69-14-4.0. (Assists) - SENA, Monique 26; GRIMM,
  Dana 25. (Dig leaders) - FALL, Rheann 35; LUCAS, Dionna 32; BOS, Katie
  21; GRIMM, Dana 16; SENA, Monique 12

  Site: Seaside, Calif. (Otter Sports Center)
  Date: Sep 18, 2009   Attend: 250   Time: 2:32
  Referees: Sara Zinsman, Michal Yoshikawa, Chris Huerta