Chico State volleyball Head Coach Cody Hein hit the nail on the head when he described Thursday's road match with Humboldt State as "a regular season playoff game." Both the Wildcats and Lumberjacks are fighting for one of the final berths in next week's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament, and Thursday's contest in Arcata could very likely decide which team advances to postseason play and which sees its 2015 season come to an end. The action is set to get underway at 7 p.m. at Lumberjack Arena.
 
Wildcats fans can follow the action online with Live Stats and live streaming video, available via the Wildcat Athletics website.
 
Chico State heads into the final two matches of the regular season 16-12 overall, but a six-match losing streak has dropped the 'Cats to 8-10 in the CCAA and into eighth place in the conference standings. With two matches left to play, the Wildcats – a game behind seventh place Stanislaus State – still hold a one-game lead over Humboldt State and Cal State Dominguez Hills, who are tied for ninth.
 
A Chico State win Thursday over Humboldt will knock the Lumberjacks out of postseason contention and assure the 'Cats of no worse than a tie with Dominguez Hills at the end of the end of the regular season. The Wildcats hold the tiebreaker with the Toros by virtue of a four-set victory over Dominguez Hills back on Sept. 18.
 
Humboldt State is 9-13 on the year and 7-11 in CCAA play. Like the Wildcats, the Lumberjacks are struggling down the stretch, having dropped their last three contests, including road losses last weekend to Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
 
The 'Jacks' offense is spearheaded by junior outside hitter Symone Hayden and senior right side hitter Kaitlyn Dunaway, who have combined for nearly 600 kills on the year.
 
Chico State won the first meeting of the year between the two teams, edging Humboldt State in five sets Sept. 26 at Acker Gym. The Wildcats have won 17 of the last 20 contests against the Lumberjacks dating back to 2005 and lead the all-time series 37-11.