ARCATA — Six games into the fall season, and following their first two California Collegiate Athletic Association contests, the Humboldt State Lumberjacks remain winless for 2010. But everything isn't always what it seems.

Not translating on the scoreboard are the strides being made by a predominantly young Lumberjack team. Sooner, rather than later, and quite possibly this weekend, the improvement will take the form of victories. HSU resumes that quest with matches at Chico State on Friday and Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday. First serve is set for 7 p.m. both evenings.

Head-to-Head
One of the Jacks' traditional rivals, Chico State trails HSU, 24-32 in the all-time series. …Humboldt State commands a 44-12 lead in its historical series against Cal State Stanislaus. Both opponents gained ground on the Jacks in 2009, however, each claiming a pair of victories over HSU.

LiveStats
Live statistics for all HSU home matches can be accessed at http://livestats.internetconsult.com/humboldt/wvball/ while the event is in progress. Live Stats for the Chico State match can be found at http://www.csuchico.edu/athletics/livestatsvb/xlive.htm, and the same feature for the Cal State Stanislaus match can be found at http://warriorathletics.com/custompages/livestats/vb/index.html.

Lumberjack Notes
An extremely tough early schedule has contributed to HSU's poor showing in the won-loss column. The combined record of the Jacks' six opponents to date is 28-10.  This week's opponents keep the percentage high with a combined 9-5 record entering the weekend schedule. …Last week's outings were close throughout, and featured strong finishes by the Lumberjacks. But still missing is the ability to maintain that high level of play throughout a set. "We started well and finished well in nearly every set," HSU head coach Sue Woodstra pointed out. "Our young players will learn how to keep that going through the middle of a set." …Senior setter Joliann Arzadon continues to be a bright spot in the lineup, using her skills and knowledge to keep the Jacks steady. "She's a very talented player who is doing all that she can to help us compete," Woodstra said. "She erases marginal plays by making excellent decisions." …An area in which the Jacks have excelled throughout the Woodstra era is blocking, and defense as a whole. Toni Kroeker is back into the fray after a year off due to injury, and she and teammate Allison Drobish combined to reject 12 attack attempts in the Cal State East Bay match last week. "Both Al and Toni are very disciplined. They take pride in giving us a strong block," Woodstra said. 

Injury Report
Junior hitter Oceana Matsubu continues her recovery from a leg injury that has limited her offensive output. The injury has improved, but she still isn't expected to be at 100 percent by the weekend. …No other significant problems have been reported.

Opponent Notes
Chico State is out to a 6-2 start to the season, including a split of its two league matches last week. The Wildcats fell in four at Cal State Los Angeles on Friday, then bounced back to defeat Cal State Dominguez Hills in three straight sets Saturday. …The Wildcats boast two of the CCAA's top offensive players in Crystal Trifeletti and and Jessica Leek. Trifeletti ranks third in league with a .402 hitting percentage and Leek is fourth at .378. …Cal State Stanislaus has posted a 3-3 overall mark and is 1-1 in league following a similar split last weekend. The Warriors edged Cal State Dominguez Hills in five sets Friday, then fell in three to Cal State L.A. on Saturday. …Megan Britton is among the top servers in conference with an average of .57 aces per set. She is also third overall in digs, averaging 5.04 each set.

Woodstra's Words
“Chico State has been a good opponent for us to face in conference. The move the ball around and keep us on our toes. To be successful, we'll need to be quick to find their hitters." …"We've struggled against Cal State Stanislaus in recent matches. They fight and scrap to get every ball." …"We're getting a little tired of traveling, so it's nice that we'll get to be home after this weekend. But traveling quickly gets a lot easier to deal with if you win."

Lumberjack Links
Follow this link or paste it in your browser to access the current Lumberjack roster. For current statistics following the weekend's matches, visit the Jacks statistics page.