ARCATA, Calif. – After harnessing all its inspiration on Thursday to come out with a rousing 3-1 opening-night victory in Lumberjack Arena over Academy of Art, the Humboldt State women's volleyball team came out flat by its own admission as the team was handed a 3-2 loss by the Urban Knights the following day.

The team hopes to erase memories of Friday night's lackluster performance when it travels to Lacey, Wash., for the Division II West Region Volleyball Showcase. HSU will face tournament host Saint Martin's Thursday as part of an arduous four-games-in-three-days schedule that sees them take on Notre Dame de Namur and Point Loma on Friday, and Montana State Billings on Saturday.

"We're quite a good team when we're in-system, meaning that we're passing well, and when we're not, we're struggling," said HSU Head Coach Kelly Wood. "And while we want to remain in-system, we want to be a team that can be successful when things aren't going well with the passing because that will take pressure off. Once you don't feel that pressure to pass perfectly, you pass better as a result."

Wood said she liked the way her squad got off to a hot start in its home opener, and she knows HSU will need to bring its "A" game this weekend. The Jacks expect to look for more contributions and playing time from their bench given the upcoming schedule, which features west region opposition.

"We're going to be playing four solid teams [in Lacey], and it's going to be a test for our girls," said Wood. "We're looking forward to getting up there and playing more tough competition."

Junior defensive specialist Natalie Picone gave some insight as to the team's strengths when they are on their game.

"Our communication is fantastic. We are constantly talking, we are energetic, we hustle, we sprint, we dive, we are fearless out there when we get on a roll. It's really fun."

Picone also spoke of the value in facing stiff competition this weekend, saying, "I think this is going to be a huge weekend for us. This is what we really need, to play against some teams that might be bigger or faster but whatever it is, I know that we as a team just need to work hard. We have four matches this weekend and it's going to be a long haul, but I do believe that if we keep working hard and we never give up, we're going to make a big difference in conference this next year."

Going into this weekend's play, the Jacks are led by Alex Lolland with 30 points and 27 kills, while Janelle Ayala has 28.5 points and 17 kills, and Lauren Reid has contributed 28 points and 24 kills.