ARCATA — Finding its chemistry on the road, the Lumberjack volleyball team hopes to bring that formula back home when it hosts two California Collegiate Athletic Association matches this week.

Humboldt State claimed a hard-fought battle with Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday, emerging from the four-set match with its first CCAA win this year. On Thursday, Cal State LA is the formidable foe HSU will face at 7 p.m. in Lumberjack Arena, then the Jacks will be back on the court Saturday for a 7 p.m. match against Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Lumberjack Volleyball Online

 
Head-to-Head
Cal State Los Angeles leads the all-time series vs. HSU, 13-3, after sweeping a pair of matches in 2010. Against the CSU Dominguez Hills Toros, the Jacks have been more successful, posting a 15-3 record that included two wins a year ago.

Multimedia
Video streaming will again be featured through the Lumberjacks' web site at the following link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics. Live statistics for all HSU home matches can be accessed at http://livestats.internetconsult.com/humboldt/wvball/ while the event is in progress.

Head Coach Sue Woodstra
An Olympic silver-medalist as both an athlete and a coach, Sue Woodstra begins her ninth season guiding the Lumberjacks. … Woodstra took a year and a half leave of absence from the Lumberjack program for the 2007 and beginning of the 2008 seasons. In June 2007, at the helm of the USA National Team, she coached the indoor women's volleyball team to a bronze medal at the Pan American Games. She continued serving Team USA as first assistant coach during its run to the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. …Woodstra served as captain as a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team that earned a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.…Woodstra is the 10th head coach in the history of the volleyball program at Humboldt State.

Lumberjack Notes
Another facet of the Lumberjacks' collective personality came forward Saturday, the determined squad that refused to let a victory slip away. After trailing one set to none, HSU rallied to win two tight sets before the fourth set saw several match points avoided on the way to a 31-29 win over Cal State Monterey Bay. "Our chemistry was right," Woodstra said. "We played as a team, and didn't let outside distractions get in the way.". …Junior transfer Alexa Rosendale continues her awakening after being limited in early matches by an ankle injury. She provided HSU with another weapon in its lineup, helping the Lumberjacks to a split of their roadtrip. Rosendale led HSU with 18 kills against East Bay in the first match of the trip, then pounded down 19 vs. the Otters. She totaled 33 kills for the weekend and a .182 hitting percentage. Rosendale also led the team in digs Saturday with 24. …Humboldt State leads the CCAA in blocking with an average of 2.39 per set. The Jacks rank third in digs at 7.68 per set. …Individually, senior Oceana Matsubu is second in league with an average of 4.42 kills per set and league by contributing 5.19 points per set. Junior Allison Drobish is No. 2 in blocks at 1.26 per set and Brooke Ferguson is third in the CCAA with an average of 4.83 digs.

Opponents' Notes
Cal State LA is 4-5 overall and 1-3 in the CCAA, and is coming into town with a four-match losing streak. The Golden Eagles opened league play with a win over Cal State East Bay, but have fallen to CSU Monterey Bay, CSU San Bernardino and UC San Diego. …The Eagles are among the top blocking teams in league, ranking third at 2.24 per set. Marquis Mora ranks third individually at 1.20 per set. …CSU Dominguez Hills is 1-7 overall and has dropped its first four CCAA matches. …Senior Olivia White is the only Toro to break into the league's statistical leaders, ranking No. 7 in assists with 9.15 per set. …CSU Dominguez Hills is under the guidance of new head coach Jennifer Adeva. Prior to joining CSUDH, Adeva was an assistant coach at Wake Forest University.

Woodstra's Words
“Being on the road and spending time together was good for us. Then the players got to feel what its like to be strong and pull out a big win. Now that they've experienced that, they're going to want to do it again." …"Every player is starting to understand their role on the floor. They each have to remember they are responsible for their position on the court. When everyone does that it usually works." …Cal State L.A. has a very athletic, very physical team. They're well-balanced and they have some good individual players. They play hard and high, but they have some tendencies we'll try to exploit." …Cal State Dominguez Hills appears to be playing with more energy under their new coach. they took a set from CSU San Bernardino, which is always an accomplishment."