ARCATA – Seven matches in seven days can be hard on any team, but add traveling into the picture and it has the potential of creating a bigger problem. After playing four matches over the weekend at the Route 92 Tournament, Humboldt State will host Cal Poly Pomona on Wednesday before heading to Cal State Stanislaus for Friday's match and Chico State on Saturday. All matches slated for a 7 p.m. start time.

"We're used to being road warriors," said head coach Sue Woodstra. "Once we get this tough trip out early, we can get down to a normal routine."

Head-to-Head

Humboldt State has struggled historically against Cal Poly Pomona, only winning one out of 21 matches. The Jacks have had better luck against Cal State Stanislaus, standing at 44-16 in the all-time series against the Warriors. Chico State holds the upper hand with a 39-21 record in the all-time series.

Multimedia

Fans can follow Wednesday's match via Live Stats at http://sidearmstats.com/humboldt/wvball/scoreboard.aspxand video at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics. Friday's match at Cal State Stanislaus will also have Live Stats at http://sidearmstats.com/csustan/wvball/scoreboard.aspx. The match on Saturday against Chico State will have play-by-play action at http://www.sidearmstats.com/csuchico/wvball/xlive.htm.

Bronco Notes

Cal Poly Pomona enters the midweek matchup against the Jacks with a 4-3 record after winning all three matches in the tournament it hosted with Cal State Los Angeles over the weekend. The Broncos beat Azusa Pacific in three sets and Point Loma Nazarene 3-2 to welcome the former National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics teams to National Collegiate Athletic Association Div. II play. CPP also took a 3-1 result over Cal State San Marcos at the tournament. Offensively, Diana Lake averages 3.57 kills per set, while Kelly Bonja averages just under five digs per set (4.95).

Warrior Notes

Cal State Stanislaus stands with a 3-5 record on the season as conference play begins. The Warriors went 1-3 at the Seawolf Spike hosted by Sonoma State, beating Dominican 3-2, but falling in three sets to both Western Washington and Central Washington and 1-3 to Seattle Pacific. The Warriors average 11.47 kills per set, led by Andrea Fett with 111 kills. 

Wildcat Notes

Chico State ended its six-match winning streak in a 1-3 loss to No. 18-ranked Western Washington at the Seawolf Spike, bringing the Wildcats' record to 6-1. Outside hitter Alex Shurtz dominated the attack for the Wildcats, powering 81 kills and averaging 5.06 kills per set over the weekend to earn herself CCAA Player of the Week honors. The Wildcats will be without All-American Jessica Leek after the opposite hitter sustained a leg injury at the tournament.

Lumberjack Notes

Humboldt State comes off a 1-3 record at the Route 92 Tournament hosted by Cal State East Bay and Notre Dame de Namur. The Jacks continue to battle against their opponents, but can't seem to see the match through to victory. 

"I feel like we're right on the brink of being a much better team than we have been," said Woodstra. "The chemistry is good with the group and we keep moving forward. It's frustrating to be right on the brink, but we'll keep banging our head against the wall until the wall breaks down."

Alexa Rosendale leads the team with 99 kills on the season, but Sarah Wilber boasts the highest attack percentage at .429. Services continue to be a weapon of choice for the Jacks, averaging 2.3 per set. Rosendale leads with 15 aces, but is followed closely behind by Ashley Neale (14) and Wilber (13). Defensively, Tiffany McCray leads the squad with 135 digs.

Injury Report

Some coughs and sneezes have been going around on the team, but as Woodstra says, "nothing that will hold us back."

Woodstra's Words

"I'd rather not start midweek, but oh well. Seven matches in seven days is kind of a lot, but the team has been competing well. We just need to figure out how to get over the hump of finishing games." ... "Our passes have been a little better, but we need to be better more consistently." ... "I think we stepped up in a lot of areas this past weekend, especially blocking and defensively. We also started to play the ball a lot better. We need to keep that up." ... "Toward the end of this weekend, we started to connect better with our middle. When we pass better, we're able to be more diverse on offense."