ARCATA — Everything is happening at an accelerated pace this fall, with the NCAA's “Life in the Balance Initiative” shortening the preseason practice session and number of competitions. For Humboldt State's volleyball program, that translates into being ready for the California Collegiate Athletic Association's league season to begin this week with trips to Hayward and La Jolla only one week after their opening match of 2010.
HSU made forward progress during last weekend's Phoenix Inn GNAC Conference Challenge tournament, but still emerged with an 0-4 record after facing tough competition. The Lumberjacks will try to turn the corner this week when they face UC San Diego in La Jolla at 7 p.m. Friday and Cal State East Bay at the same time in Hayward Saturday.
Head-to-Head
Two CCAA losses to the Tritons last year dropped the Jacks to 0-9 in the all-time series vs. UCSD. …Cal State East Bay defeated the Jacks twice in its inaugural CCAA season, but HUS still leads the all-time series, 37-10.
LiveStats
Live statistics for all HSU home matches can be accessed at http://livestats.internetconsult.com/humboldt/wvball/ while the event is in progress.
Lumberjack Notes
Last week's tournament proved to be a crash course with a steep learning curve for the Jacks' young players, but they responded rapidly and played critical roles in the five-set loss to nationally ranked Alaska Anchorage that ended the event. Freshmen Taylor Manuel, Ashley Neal and Noel Eaton were among those Jacks experiencing collegiate volleyball for the first time, and against four very tough opponents. "When we began the tournament, I think all of them were shaking in their shoes," head coach Sue Woodstra said. "By the Anchorage match, they were all doing fine in several positions." …Helping the young players with their schooling was senior Jo Arzadon, who was selected to the all-tournament team after turning in a well-balanced effort. "What Jo does for us doesn't always show up in the statistics," Woodstra said. "She has the ability to correct our mistakes. She's fast to chase down balls that we didn't handle, and she's making excellent decisions. As a setter, that's important. She's playing like a senior." …Getting off to a quick start in conference play could help raise the team's confidence level, Woodstra said. That means making the most of the first two league trips, and getting used to the rigors of travel. The Lumberjacks won't get a chance to play in their own arena until Sept. 24. …Assessing Humboldt State's blocking and overall defensive effort on the opening weekend, those areas will again be a team strength. Serving was also steady in the 2010 debut, leaving passing and spreading the offensive attack the focus of the Jacks' efforts in practice this week. "We're looking for more consistency in those area," Woodstra said. "But from what I've seen so far, I know we can improve."
Injury Report
Toni Kroeker returned to the court for the first time since 2008, and is slowly working back to the level she was at before encountering knee problems that kept her out in 2009. She'll be brought along gradually while regaining strength, according to Woodstra. …Junior hitter Oceana Matsubu will see limited practice time this week while she recovers from a leg injury. Both Hannah Jones and Bailey Kotas were held out by illness, but should be back in form this week.
Opponent Notes
UC San Diego begins the season ranked No. 8 nationally after posting a 29-3 record a year ago. The Tritons are off to a 3-1 start behind the efforts of junior outside hitter Roxanne Brunsting, who earned Molten/California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Volleyball Player of the Week honors. Brunsting averaged 3.27 kills, 3.27 digs, 0.67 blocks, 0.47 assists and 0.47 service aces in 15 sets over the weekend. …UCSD has a new head coach guiding the program, Ricci Luyties, the former head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi. .…Cal State East Bay opened its season 4-0, sweeping its matches at the Nanook Classic hosted by University of Alaska Fairbanks. …Freshman outside hitter Katie Allen led the Pioneers with 24 kills in two victories on Saturday. …The Pioneers finished the 2009 season with a 10-21 record, two of the wins coming against HSU.
Woodstra's Words
“We'd love to get off to a good start to the season. As young as we are, I know we'll get better. We improved as we went through the weekend, and I know we can improve more." … "We compete in a very strong conference that plays a very high level of volleyball. It's always exciting to go on the road and play such quality teams." …"UC San Diego is playing a bit different style than in recent years. They have some young players who are still adjusting. This is the best time for us to be playing them." … "East Bay is off to a good start after going 4-0 at the Alaska Tournament. We don't know a lot about them."
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/2010/teamstat.htm?path=vball.
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