Boxscore
ARCATA, Calif. — Despite taking the opening two sets, Humboldt State could not close out Saturday night's volleyball match. Cal State Monterey Bay battled back to even the match, before posting the fifth set's final three points and 3-2 upset.
 
The Lumberjacks took the 25-18 and 25-22 wins into intermission, before the Otters scratched back to win the final three sets (25-23, 27-25 and 15-12).
 
HSU (12-5/9-4 California Collegiate Athletic Association) suffered its first loss in six matches. Cal State Monterey Bay (5-12/5-8 CCAA) snapped a three-match losing streak.
 
"Cal State Monterey Bay should get the credit tonight as they kept battling. They were playing loose and we tightened up and lost the match because of it," said HSU Head Coach Kelly Wood. "We definitely let the third set get away after having a big lead."
 
In the third set, HSU ran out to an 11-5 lead on a Haley Biles' ace and kept the six-point margin, 15-9, on an Alex Hasenstab kill. The Otters rattled off the next five points to pull to within one, 15-14, and kept the momentum the rest of the night. Following four ties, the visitors' Julia Ashen downed a kill for the final point, 25-23.
 
"We really did a poor job of defending their back row attack," said Wood. "We won the first two sets but didn't play well in them."
 
Kat Rifilato led the Jacks with 13 kills, 29 assists, seven digs and an ace.
 
Kaitlyn Dunaway had a double-double with 15 digs and 12 kills, while Hasenstab chipped in 12 kills and three block assists. Nicole Bewley added 11 kills and two aces and Ashley Owen 10 kills and eight digs.
 
Erin Mitchell handed out 29 assists and dug 10 balls. Biles finished with 27 digs.
 
Jessica Malcolm pounded 22 kills and Julia Ashen had 15 kills to lead the Otters.
 
HSU built a 10-5 first set lead and never lost the advantage. Dunaway and Rifilato killed the final two points of the 25-18 win.
 
The Jacks netted four of the final five points of the second set with Hasenstab killing the final point, 25-22.
 
After the Otters took the third set, the Jacks enjoyed a 20-16 lead in the fourth set. HSU had two match points, 24-22 and 24-23, only to see Cal State Monterey Bay come through with back-to-back kills. Tied at 25, the Otters put the next two points in their favor for a 27-25 win to force the fifth set.
 
HSU will next host San Francisco State Thursday night at 7 p.m.