Boxscore
ARCATA, Calif. — After taking the first two sets, Humboldt State could not recapture the early magic from the intermission and lost a heartbreaking five-set, 3-2, match to UC San Diego Thursday night.
 
The Jacks (8-4/5-3 California Collegiate Athletic Association) stormed out of the gate for early leads and posted a pair of 25-21, 25-21 wins to start the night. The Tritons (8-4/6-2 CCAA) held on for 26-24 and 25-21 wins in the next two sets, before they outlast the home team, 18-16, to complete their comeback.
 
"It is a very disappointing loss to be up 2-0 and come out and play in the third and fourth sets the way we did," said HSU Head Coach Kelly Wood. "We let up and played without consistency and UC San Diego stepped up at the same time. We fought with all we had in the fifth, but it should never have went to a fifth set.  We need to do a better job of closing out teams."
 
After being tied at 10, the fifth set saw six more deadlocks. On the fifth match point, the Triton block of Alyssa McNeely and Heidi Sierks stopped the final Jack attack to end the night, 18-16.
 
On the night, Ashley Owen led the HSU offense with a season-high 24 kills and posted three total blocks. Nicole Bewley added 12 kills and registered three blocks of her own.
 
Kat Rifilato handed out 39 set assists to go with 10 kills, eight digs and two block assists. Haley Biles and Kelci Renshaw produced 21 and 17 digs, respectively, on defense. Kaitlyn Dunaway lined three aces, while hitting 11 kills and digging six attacks.
 
HSU built an early 12-7 lead off an Owen kill in the first set. The Jacks let the Tritons get no closer than three points the rest of the way for a 25-21 score.
 
The home club opened a 20-14 late lead in the second set, before it won 25-21 for a 2-0 match lead.
 
Trailing 16-8, HSU battled back to take the lead, 22-21. The Tritons, though, netted four of the final six points for the 26-24 victory.
 
UC San Diego repeated its third set performance and went ahead, 15-10, midway through the fourth set. HSU would get no closer than two points, 16-14, and fell 25-21.
 
"We made a lot of errors as our passing broke down and our defense was not as good as it needed to be. When we were able to get them out of system, we couldn't take advantage," said Wood.
 
HSU will complete it five-match home stand Saturday night. The Jacks will host the Broncos of Cal Poly Pomona starting at 7 p.m.