FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Junior middle blocker Madeline Cannon had nine kills, six blocks and a .467 hitting percentage to lead Sacramento State to a 3-1 victory (25-23, 21-25, 25-15, 25-21) over Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinals Thursday evening at the Rolle Activity Center.

In the process, the Hornets (26-6) won their first Big Sky Tournament match since the 2007 season, and advance to tomorrow's semifinals where Sacramento State will play top seed and tournament host Northern Arizona at 6 p.m. PST. The Lumberjacks swept Southern Utah in their quarterfinal matchup today. Sacramento State and Northern Arizona split their two regular season meetings this year, with each team winning on its home floor.

The Hornets, who are the No. 4 seed in the tournament, qualified for the eight-team postseason event by finishing with a 12-4 conference record, good for third place in the Big Sky's South Division. Northern Colorado, which was the tournament's No. 5 seed and finished the conference season with a 10-6 record, sees its season come to end with an overall record of 14-16.

Making their first appearance at the Big Sky Tournament since the 2011 season, the Hornets went 2-0 against Northern Colorado this year, including a 3-1 victory over the Bears in Sacramento during the regular season. It was Northern Colorado that defeated the Hornets in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Big Sky Tournament.

All 16 players on Sacramento State's roster had zero Big Sky Tournament playing experience prior to tonight, but it didn't matter as the Hornets dispatched of a Northern Colorado team that won last year's Big Sky Tourney title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

The Hornet defense limited Northern Colorado to a .135 hitting percentage, forcing 29 errors in 141 Bear attacks. Sacramento State had 12.5 team blocks, its third highest output of the season. Four different Hornets had at least three blocks, comprised of Cannon (match-high tying 6), setter Kennedy Kurtz (season-high 5), Brie Gathright (5) and Lauren Kissell (3). Sacramento State also had eight aces, including three in the final set.

As usual, Kissell (15) and fellow outside hitter Sloan Lovett (11) provided plenty of offensive support, combining for 26 of the Hornets' 47 kills. Kissell, who was a first team all-conference selection, led all players with 15 kills while also posting a .250 hitting percentage, an ace, three blocks and a career-high nine digs. Lovett, a second team all-league choice, had an ace and two blocks to go along with her 11 kills.

"Northern Colorado played hard and they entered the match with a lot of Big Sky Tournament playing experience," Sacramento State's Big Sky Coach of the Year Ruben Volta said. "But we answered the bell, and I thought we played good defense and attacked well. Maddie (Cannon) really set the tone as she attacked fast and aggressive, blocked well and served tough. Sloan (Lovett) and Lauren (Kissell) provided a lot of offense.

"We played pretty well tonight, and I'd like the team to carry this momentum into tomorrow's semifinal match. Having said that, we will need to play better the rest of the way if we expect to win this tournament."

Kurtz was all over the floor, finishing with 41 assists, two aces, seven digs, five blocks, two kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Morgan Stanley had seven kills, eight digs and a match-best three aces, and Gathright added three kills to go with her five blocks. Brigitte Murdock finished with a team-high 11 digs and libero Lexie Skalbeck was limited to six digs, her lowest output of the season.

Sacramento State took what looked like an insurmountable 24-18 lead in the first set, but Northern Colorado cut the lead to 24-23 before a combo block from Gathright and Kurtz finally gave the Hornets the win. Each of the final three sets were won comfortably.

For Northern Colorado, Timarie Nymeyer had a team-high 13 kills and a .455 hitting percentage, Alex Kloehn chipped in nine kills and a .389 percentage, and Emily O'Neil had a match-high tying six blocks.

Sacramento State, which joined the Big Sky in 1996, improved to 21-5 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament. The Hornets are seeking their first tournament championship since the 2007 squad took home the title and eventually advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.