SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Humboldt State will forever be the answer to the trivia question, "Which volleyball team was the first to win in Hunter Gym on the campus of Cal State San Marcos."
 
The Lumberjacks (3-2, 1-0) defeated the Cougars (3-6, 0-1), the newest California Collegiate Athletic Conference member in the first conference match of the season on Wednesday night, 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 27-25, 25-20).
 
"San Marcos played us very tough," said Head Coach Kelly Wood. "They play hard, they block well, and we really had to work for our points tonight. We started slow, and have yet to win a second set, but we stayed tough and finished well."
 
The first set was back-and-forth to start. Neither team built a lead larger than a single point through the first 29. Humboldt rattled off three straight to make it a 16-14 set. The Jacks never trailed again in the opening frame, thanks in part to a 9-2 run to extend the lead to 22-16. The two teams split the final six points, which was enough for Humboldt to win the set 25-19.
 
The second set appeared to be getting away from the Green and Gold when the deficit grew to four at 15-19. The momentum switched as the Jacks worked the score to 22-20, but they were unable to hold on and dropped the set 23-25.
 
Following the intermission, both teams came out knowing the importance of the pivotal third set. The Jacks built up the set's largest lead, 21-17, but was unable to fend off the Cougars before the score was knotted at 25-25. Including breaking set point, HSU rattled off three consecutive points to take the game, 27-25.
 
The fourth set began just as closely as the previous three. At 20-19, Symone Hayden recorded one of her game-high 19 kills to give the Jacks the two-point edge. From that point, the Green and Gold played their way to victory, winning the match 25-20.
 
Senior Nicole Bewley set a new career-high, recording a .632 hitting percentage with 14 kills on 19 attacks, and sophomore Jessica Lammers' 38 assists were her best as a Lumberjack.
 
"We have a veteran group of girls, and they kept their composure tonight," said Wood. "I'm pleased to have started conference with a win."
 
The turnaround following the first conference win must be quick, as the Jacks have another CCAA match on Thursday night at Cal Poly Pomona. Start time is scheduled for 7 p.m.