ARCATA — Humboldt State's finest effort of the volleyball season wasn't quite enough Friday, falling just short in a 25-21, 22-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-12 loss to No. 21 nationally ranked Cal State Monterey Bay.

HSU remains winless at 0-12 and 0-8 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association heading into Saturday's home match against San Francisco State. CSUMB improved to 10-1 overall and 7-1 in league action.

In a match that never saw either team gain a comfortable advantage, the Jacks played as equals to their highly-regarded opponent. After falling short in the first set, they maintained a narrow edge throughout the second set before ending it with a kill from Jo Arzadon.

Arzadon, the Jacks' setter, served an all-purpose role throughout the match. She finished with eight kills and a .333 hitting percentage, 15 digs and 33 assists. The senior also contributed a block solo and a pair of block assists.

"Jo did a very nice job for us again tonight," HSU head coach Sue Woodstra said. "In general, the whole group played as steady as they have all season.

Humboldt State gained the advantage with a win in the third set, taking the early lead and then holding the Otters at bay. Oceana Matsubu put away the set with a kill through the block, one of her team-high 14 kills. Matsubu also ended with 11 digs for the double-double.

The Otters rallied behind Rheann Fall in the fourth set, gaining a five-point lead and keeping the Jacks from achieving any momentum. Fall led all players in the match with 27 kills, taking an incredible 64 attempts.

In the final match, a red card on HSU awarded a point to the Otters, giving them a 12-10 advantage. Lauren Shacklock came up with the big finish, putting down the final two kills of the evening.

"Our players feel like they're so close right now," Woodstra said. "Nobody was deflated after tonight. They just keep working and trying, and competing."

CS Monterey Bay def. Humboldt State 25-21,22-25,19-25,25-22,15-12  CS Monterey Bay (10-1, 7-1 CCAA) (Kills-aces-blocks) - FALL, Rheann 27-2-2; LASHBROOK, Melanie 12-1-3; RIGGS, Tiffaney 10-0-3; SHACKLOCK, Lauren 9-0-0; DING, Lauren 4-0-2; VENTURA, Lacee 1-1-0; GRIMM, Dana 1-0-0; WARD, Kami 1-0-0; SENA, Monique 1-3-1; TAIJERON, Tori 0-0-1; 17 0-0-1; LUCAS, Dionna 0-1-0; 6 0-0-1; Totals 66-8-7.0. (Assists) - SENA, Monique 42. (Dig leaders) - FALL, Rheann 21; LUCAS, Dionna 18; VENTURA, Lacee 11; SENA, Monique 8  Humboldt State (0-12, 0-8 CCAA) (Kills-aces-blocks) - MATSUBU, Oceana 14-0-2; MANUEL, Taylor 9-1-2; ARZADON, Joliann 8-2-3; DROBISH, Allison 8-2-4; KROEKER, Toni 5-0-4; FINNEY, Callan 5-3-1; NEALE, Ashley 1-1-0; Totals 50-9-10.0. (Assists) - ARZADON, Joliann 33. (Dig leaders) - WASHINGTON, Channel 17; ARZADON, Joliann 15; MATSUBU, Oceana 11  Site: Arcata, Calif. (Lumberjack Arena)