by Luke Shanafelt

Cal Poly Humboldt’s Women’s Volleyball celebrated their Senior Night on Saturday, Nov. 15, honoring their lone senior Sophia Spoja before the team pulled out a dramatic five-set win over the Cal State East Bay Peregrines. The Jacks opened strong in the first set with aggressive attacking and scrappy defense, controlling momentum from the start. Humboldt took the opening set 25–17.

The second set told a different story. East Bay made key adjustments and began to dominate with smart pin attacks and deep-corner tips that targeted the Jacks’ back row. The Peregrines also strung together multiple three-point serving runs. Humboldt found brief relief from a few late East Bay passing errors, but the Jacks dropped the set 25–16. The third set continued East Bay’s surge — the Peregrines dismantled Humboldt’s small block and repeatedly scored off in-system swings. The Jacks were only able to manage 10 points as East Bay cruised to a 25–10 win and a 2–1 lead. 

Facing the final home match of the season, Humboldt’s bench brought the passion and energy. Practice player Breadan Ferrone fired up the team and coach Spoja added an emotional push of her own before the fourth set. The motivation and encouragement was effective. Outside hitter Graysen Trupp sparked the comeback, hammering three early kills to shift momentum. The Jacks fed her repeatedly, and she delivered. Humboldt evened the match with a 25–21 victory in the fourth, bringing the game into the tiebreaker set. The decisive fifth set was a nail-biter. Humboldt opened with a steady lead before East Bay fought back to tie it at 6–6. The Peregrines eventually pulled ahead 10–8, but the Jacks responded with a sideout and traded points down the stretch. 

The gym grew louder with every rally. On match point for Humboldt, East Bay challenged a ball called in. Both teams huddled while the referee reviewed the play. The call stood, tying the score 14–14 and setting up a win-by-two finish.Humboldt earned a sideout on a high-ball kill, but a missed serve brought it back to 15–15. The Jacks finally closed it out on a touched ball that sailed out of bounds, where they won 17–15 and set off an eruption from the Humboldt bench.