ARCATA — Visiting familiar territory from Humboldt State's days in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, Coach Sue Woodstra takes her Lumberjack volleyball team on the road to open its season this week at the Phoenix Inn GNAC Conference Challenge in Monmouth, Ore.
Humboldt State plays four matches in the two day even, beginning with Friday's match against the host Wolves at 1 p.m. They'll face Western Washington in the day's finale at 8 p.m. Saturday's matches pit HSU against Central Washington at 1 p.m. and Alaska Anchorage at 5 p.m.
Head-to-Head
Western Oregon defeated Humboldt State in four games last season, providing the Wolves with a 16-7 advantage in the historical series. …HSU lost in three straight in its only meeting with Central Washington last year, putting the Jacks on the negative side of a 3-15 record in the all-time series. …Humboldt State trails Western Washington, 3-15 all-time. …Alaska Anchorage is ahead of the Jacks all-time, taking eight matches to HSU's three.
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
Humboldt State has made the most of its short preseason practice period, cut even shorter when classes began last week, ending double days. …Taking advantage of an opportunity to get match-ready, the Lumberjacks traveled to Redding for a scrimmage against Simpson College on Saturday. Coach Sue Woodstra saw many reasons for optimism coming out of the event. "Our returners were very steady, and have really developed into solid players," she said. "Jo (Arzadon), Toni (Kroeker) and Oceana (Matsubu) understand what we're trying to do, and have the physical ability to accomplish it." …The addition of senior Toni Kroeker to the lineup provides HSU with an instant charge in the middle. After missing all of last season due to injury, Kroeker has gotten through fall camp with limited problems. In her 2008 junior season, she led the team in blocks with 119. "It's nice to see Toni back out there," Woodstra said. "She working on getting her feet back under her, but you can definitely see the experience she offers to this team." …Expected to assume the libero role for HSU this fall is freshman Brooke Ferguson, and her play in the scrimmage supported Woodstra's confidence in putting her in that role.
Opponent Notes
Western Oregon finished the 2009 season with an 8-19 record overall and a 5-11 mark in the GNAC. The Wolves are a young team, with seven freshmen and only two seniors on the roster. …Central Washington is an experienced team that returners 10 letterwinners and six starters from last year's 16-11 squad the went 8-8 in league play. … Alaska Anchorage returns four starters from last year's NCAA Division II Regional semifinalists and Western Washington has everyone back from its team that barely missed the playoffs a year ago. Each team received four first-place votes in the GNAC Coaches poll though the Vikings, who are seeking a fifth GNAC title, outpointed the Seawolves 72-67 in the overall balloting.
Woodstra Words
“These are good opponents. We'll have a better idea of how we match up with good teams following the weekend." …"It's always good to see how young players react in an actual match. Competition can often bring out the best in athletes, while some struggle." …"All of our athletes are eager to play. Some of the young ones might not know what they're getting into, but they'll learn quickly."
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.
