ARCATA, Calif. – The Humboldt State volleyball team returned to form on Thursday night, erasing a five match losing streak. The Lumberjacks (7-10, 5-8) returned to campus with a thrilling five-set victory (25-20, 22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-4) over Cal State Dominguez Hills (7-14, 5-8).
 
"It was definitely something that we needed," said Head Coach Kelly Wood. "We were still up and down throughout the match, clearly, but the thing I'm most happy about is the way we finished it out in that fifth set. We finally started playing as a team. The blocking was solid, the serving was tough, the defense was there, and the sets were where they needed to be to finish the set."
 
The Jacks claimed the first set, despite opening the match in a 4-1 hole. The turning point came when HSU scored five straight points to take the lead, 12-9. Symone Hayden, Kaitlyn Dunaway, and Alex Hasenstab each had a kill in that sequence. Those three finished the game leading the Green and Gold in kills with 21 for Hayden, 17 for Dunaway, and eight for Hasenstab. Hayden has surpassed 20 kills in three games this season.
 
Humboldt State never surrendered the lead after that point in the set, thanks in part to a 10-2 run that pushed the game to 22-13. Despite the Toros sticking around and closing the gap, the Jacks won the first game, 25-20.
 
The second game was decided by a series of runs for each team. Dominguez Hills' had run of 10-1, which included seven consecutive points, was immediately answered by an 8-1 Humboldt State to bring the score back in HSU's favor, 18-16. The Toros then claimed six of the next eight points, and was able to wrap up the set, 25-22, evening the match heading into intermission.
 
The third set was the same story. Dominguez Hills opened things up with a quick 5-1 lead, before allowing HSU to claw back in with four unanswered to tie the set at 8-8. The Toros then rallied for six straight only to be match by the Green and Gold a few serves later. Dominguez Hills made the plays down the stretch and claimed the set, 25-20, leaving HSU in a hole.
 
Early in the fourth set, the Jacks tallied five straight to push ahead, 10-6. The Toros answered tying it first at 10-10, then at 11 apiece before HSU rattled of six straight off the service of Katherine Rifilato. Once behind, 17-11, the Toros never could reclaim the lead, but were able to tie the set at 23-all. Following a timeout by Wood, the home side responded with back-to-back points to force a decisive fifth set.
 
The Jacks made sure that there was no question who would claim the final set, taking the early lead 6-0 behind a trio of kills and back-to-back Rifilato aces. After the Toros got on the board, another 6-0 run, this time with Haley Biles serving, extended the HSU lead to 13-2. The two sides traded off the match's final four points, but it was enough for the Jacks to return to the win column.
 
"The last thing we said after our team meeting was, 'remember that fifth set and how that felt,'" said Wood. "I'm definitely hoping that this will carry over and allow us to have a good night tomorrow against L.A."
 
The 80 points that the Lumberjacks totaled against Dominguez Hills is the most in a match since Oct. 18, 2014 against Cal State Monterey Bay.
 
HSU is back on the court Friday night against Cal State Los Angeles. The match will begin at 7 p.m. at Lumberjack Arena.