The Cal Poly Humboldt women opened their own Redwood Coast Volleyball Classic on Thursday, falling in straight sets to Northwest Nazarene.
The Nighthawks won 27-25, 25-19, 25-18.
The first set was a close one and featured 15 ties, as both teams battled back and forth with neither able to take control.
The Lumberjacks erased a 23-20 deficit behind four kills from Avary Spoja, pulling even at 23-23 before later fighting off two set points.
Graysen Trupp’s sixth kill of the frame tied the score at 25-25, but Northwest Nazarene claimed the next two points to secure the set.
The Nighthawks established an early advantage in the second set and extended their lead to 24-14.
Humboldt responded with five consecutive points behind Claire Crawford’s serving, including two aces and a kill, before Northwest Nazarene closed the frame 25-19.
Northwest Nazarene carried its momentum into the third set, using a lengthy early run to build a 16-3 advantage.
The Lumberjacks continued to compete and trimmed the final margin before the Nighthawks completed the sweep with a 25-18 victory.
Spoja led Humboldt’s attack with seven kills, while Trupp and Branson Lennon added six apiece.
Trupp committed no attacking errors and hit .240, while Lennon contributed eight digs and two block assists.
Crawford finished with 15 assists, three service aces and five digs.
Delaney Buchanan added six assists, and Elizabeth Jade Andrade anchored the back row with a match-high 20 digs.
Humboldt recorded 31 kills, 56 digs, four service aces and two total blocks.
The loss dropped Humboldt to 2-2 on the season, while Northwest Nazarene remains unbeaten at 5-0.
The Jacks will continue tournament play on Friday evening when they face Dominican at 5 p.m.
