FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Northern Arizona's Janae Vander Ploeg had a match-high 15 kills and the Hornets were limited to a season-low .089 hitting percentage as the Lumberjacks swept Sacramento State (25-17, 25-14, 25-15) in the Big Sky Conference Tournament Semifinals Friday evening at the Rolle Activity Center.

With the loss, the Hornets' season comes to an end. Sacramento State (26-7), which advanced to the semifinals by virtue of its Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal win yesterday against Northern Colorado, was playing Northern Arizona for the third time this season and second time in eight days. The two teams split the regular season matchups (with each team winning at home), as the Lumberjacks just beat the Hornets last Thursday (Nov. 12).

NAU improved to 27-4 overall and a perfect 13-0 at home.

Sacramento State wraps up a remarkable turnaround from last season's 8-23 team. The Hornets, with nearly the same roster as last year, had an 18-win improvement and quadrupled their conference win total from a season. Sacramento State finished the conference season with a 12-4 record and had won 10 of its last 11 matches prior to tonight's loss. The 26 overall wins were the most since the 2007 season, and the Hornets won 25 of those contests in either three or four sets.

Since NAU's lone conference loss of the season to the Hornets in Sacramento on Sept. 26, the Lumberjacks have now won 16 straight matches. Northern Arizona advances to tomorrow night's championship match where it will play Idaho State at 6 p.m. PST. The winner of the title match receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Idaho State defeated Idaho, 3-1, earlier today to advance to the championship match.

In tonight's match, not only did the Hornets hit for a season low, Northern Arizona hit a robust .443, easily the highest percentage allowed by Sacramento State all year. Amazingly, the Lumberjacks had 41 kills with just two errors in 88 total attacks, while also tallying eight aces, 48 digs and 9.0 team blocks. NAU committed just one error in each of the first and second sets, and had zero errors in the third.

Sacramento State was limited to 31 kills with 21 errors in 112 total attacks. The Hornets were also held to just 2.0 team blocks, tied for their second lowest output of the season. Sacramento State's largest lead of the evening came at 7-5 early in the third set.

For the Hornets, Sloan Lovett (11), Lauren Kissell (9) and Madeline Cannon (6) combined for 26 of the team's 31 kills. Cannon hit a team-high .417 with just one error in 12 total swings. Lexie Skalbeck had a team-high 13 digs, setter Kennedy Kurtz had a team-best three aces, Morgan Stanley chipped in nine digs and Brigitte Murdock had seven digs. Brie Gathright led the team with two blocks.

Four Northern Arizona starters hit at least .500, including conference MVP Vander Ploeg who had 15 kills without an error and a .517 hitting percentage. Lauren Jacobsen had 12 kills, five aces and 15 digs, and setter Jensen Barton had five kills, 33 assists, two aces and a .625 hitting percentage.

NOTES - The Hornets had four all-conference selections this year (Kissell, Lovett, Cannon, Kurtz), the most since the 2006 season…head coach Ruben Volta was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year, the first coaching accolade for the volleyball program since Debby Colberg was named the league's coach of the year in 2007…Sacramento State finished the year with a .256 hitting percentage, the best single-season mark since the 1995 season and second best in the Div. I era (1991-pres.)…the Hornets were picked to finish in a tie for 10th in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll, only to finish with the conference's third best league record…Sacramento State entered the tournament ranked first in the Big Sky in kills per set, assists per set and hitting percentage…the Hornets began the week with an NCAA RPI ranking of 72nd in the nation, up 208 spots from the end of last season…Sacramento State's win over Northern Colorado in yesterday's quarterfinal round was the team's first Big Sky Tournament victory since beating Portland State in the 2007 Big Sky Tournament championship match…Kissell finished the year with a .305 hitting percentage, the best single-season mark for a true outside hitter in Sacramento State's Div. I era.