LA JOLLA — Measuring themselves against an esteemed opponent, Humboldt State's Lumberjacks found that they're not that farr off from the level of No. 8 nationally ranked UC San Diego. But the tightly contested 25-22, 25-20, 25-22 volleyball match still ended in favor of the Tritons, who improved to 4-1 on the season while HSU dropped to 0-5.

Humboldt State will continue its quest for the first victory of the 2010 season Saturday against another California Collegiate Athletic Association opponent, traveling to Hayward to take on Cal State East Bay.

On Friday, neither team could gain more than a three-point lead throughout the first set. The Lumberjacks appeared to be ready to steal the opener when they moved ahead 18-15 with Oceana Matsubu serving.

UCSD rallied, taking a 21-19 lead on consecutive kills by Kaitlin Potter. Callin Finney drew HSU close with a kill through the block, but the Tritons earned the set when Julia Freidenberg added the final putdown.

The second set appeared more one-sided early when UCSD gained a 15-10 advantage. Humboldt State charged back to even the score at 18-18, only to see the set slip away when the Tritons scored the final three points.

Even play marked the early action in the final set, and the Jacks drew even at 12-12 when Taylor Manuel put the ball down. From that point on, however, UC San Diego too control, reeling off seven straight points and withstanding a late Jacks' rally to end the match.

Statistically, Manuel led a balanced Jacks' offense with eight kills and a .263 hitting percentage. Finney added seven kills and only a single error for an impressive .429 mark.

On defense, Brooke Ferguson paced HSU with seven digs, and Allison Drobish had one solo and two block assists.

Roxanne Brunsting and Katie Condon each had eight kills for UCSC, and Condon also contributed a team-high eight digs.

UC San Diego def. Humboldt State 25-22,25-20,25-22  Humboldt State (0-5) (Kills-aces-blocks) - MANUEL, Taylor 8-1-1; FINNEY, Callan 7-0-1; MATSUBU, Oceana 6-1-0; KROEKER, Toni 6-0-0; DROBISH, Allison 5-0-3; ARZADON, Joliann 3-0-0; Totals 35-2-3.0. (Assists) - ARZADON, Joliann 26. (Dig leaders) - FERGUSON, Brooke 7; MANUEL, Taylor 6  UC San Diego (4-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - CONDON, Katie 8-1-0; BRUNSTING, Roxanne 8-2-2; WILLIAMSON, Hillary 7-0-0; POTTER, Kaitlin 7-0-1; MCCANN, Thalia 6-1-1; FREIDENBERG, Julia 3-1-1; SIMONSEN, Cara 2-0-0; GREEN, Audrey 1-0-1; RUTAN, Alanna 1-0-0; WERHANE, Janessa 0-1-0; Totals 43-6-3.0. (Assists) - MCCANN, Thalia 30. (Dig leaders) - CONDON, Katie 8; WILLIAMSON, Hillary 7  Site: La Jolla, Calif. (RIMAC Arena)