SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento State opened its home portion of the sand volleyball schedule with a 4-1 victory over San Jose State this afternoon at the Sacramento Softball Complex.
Today marked the home opener for the Hornets, and also began a stretch that will see Sacramento State play each of its final 11 games of the season on the home sand.
Sacramento State improved to 2-2 with the victory while San Jose State dropped to 0-5.
The Hornets kicked off the match with wins at the 4 and 5 slots, as the tandems of Brigitte Murdock and Kennedy Kurtz won at No. 5 (21-12, 21-10), and Lauren Aikels and Lauren Kissell at No. 4 (21-11, 15-21, 15-11) were both victorious. Kissell was playing in her first match of the season after missing last weekend with an injury.
Sacramento State then took a 4-0 lead after Shannon Boyle and Lexie Skalbeck won at No. 3 (21-17, 21-8), and Madeline Cannon and Morgan Stanley at No. 4 by a 21-19, 19-21, 15-11 score.
The Hornets' lone loss was a narrow one at No. 1 where Kayla Beal and Sloan Lovett fell to the Spartans' Bre Moreland/Nandyala Gama, 21-18, 15-21, 15-13.
The Hornets' doubles teams of Murdock/Kurtz, and Aikels/Kissell played their first matches together today, and Boyle/Skalbeck was elevated to No. 3 in the lineup after playing last week in the No. 4 slot.
Sacramento State is back in action next week when the team hosts the first of two sand tournaments this spring. The tournament will run on Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22, and feature the Hornets, Pacific, Washington and Saint Mary's. Sacramento State will take on both Pacific (11 a.m.) and Saint Mary's (2 p.m.) on Saturday, and Washington on Sunday at 11 a.m. For the complete tournament schedule, please click here.
Sacramento State 4, San Jose State 1
1. Bre Moreland/Nandyala Gama (SJS) def. Kayla Beal/Sloan Lovett (SAC), 21-18, 15-21, 15-13
2. Madeline Cannon/Morgan Stanley (SAC) def. Jamie Hirai/Allison Meehan (SJS), 21-19, 19-21, 15-11
3. Shannon Boyle/Lexie Skalbeck (SAC) def. Summer Avery/Yavianliz Rosado (SJS), 21-17, 21-8
4. Lauren Aikels/Lauren Kissell (SAC) def. Breann Robinson/Julie Sam (SJS), 21-11, 15-21, 15-11
5. Brigitte Murdock/Kennedy Kurtz (SAC) def. Sara Hibbs/Samantha Pereira (SJS), 21-12, 21-10
