The Week Ahead

• Sacramento State (10-10, 6-2) plays just one match this week, but its a big one as the team travels to Portland State (12-7, 7-1) for a Saturday matchup at 7 p.m. Both teams play just once this week.
• The game pits two of the top teams in the Big Sky Conference as Portland State sits in first place while the Hornets are tied for second place with Weber State.
• Sacramento State is at the midway point of the conference season as only eight Big Sky matches remain on the schedule prior to the conference tournament Nov. 23-26 in Ogden, Utah. The top eight teams in the Big Sky qualify for the postseason event.
• Sacramento State split a pair of road matches last week, including a loss to Weber State and victory over Idaho State. Saturday will conclude a three-game road trip for the Hornets. After Saturday, Sacramento State will play five of its last seven matches at home.
• Sacramento State has won three of its last four. The Hornets are enjoying a 6-2 conference record despite playing five of their first eight Big Sky games on the road.
• Portland State is one of two Big Sky teams (Eastern Washington) the Hornets have yet to play.
• The Vikings are currently the hottest team in the Big Sky, having won five straight after an impressive road sweep at Weber State on Saturday. Each of the team's last three wins have come via sweep. PSU is 5-2 at home, but have not lost on its home floor since Aug. 28. The Vikings are ranked 90th in the latest NCAA RPI report, easily the top mark in the Big Sky.
• The Hornets and Vikings will be playing each other for the first time since PSU squeaked out a 3-2 win (15-13 in the 5th) at last year's Big Sky Tournament.
• The Hornets' run of consecutive Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week award winners (Caty Cordano, followed by Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin) came to an end on Monday.

Multimedia Options

• Every match the remainder of the season will be streamed live on ESPN+ as all home matches, and every contest played at a Big Sky venue will be streamed on the network. Video streams can be found on watchespn.com and the ESPN app.
• Reminder that all multimedia links, including video and live stats, can be found next to each game on the volleyball schedule at hornetsports.com.
• Live stats will be provided for every match - home and away - this year.

vs. This Week's Opponents

• Sacramento State has played Portland State 75 times in program history, the second most matches against any opponent. That 75 trails only the 77 the Hornets have played against rival UC Davis.
• The Hornets are 50-25 all-time against the Vikings, and the Hornets have won 12 of the last 15 meetings between the two teams.
• Sacramento State has won five of the last six on the road at Portland State, and is 18-13 all-time when playing on the Vikings' home floor.
• Amazingly, the Hornets and Vikings played each other five times in 2021 with the Hornets going 3-2 over that stretch. That included two matches during the spring of 2021 (because of the pandemic), and three more in the fall.

Against The Big Sky Conference

• Since joining the Big Sky in 1996, Sacramento State is 291-134 in conference play, which breaks down to a .685 winning percentage.
• The Hornets won the Big Sky's regular season and/or tournament championships 11 straight years from 1997-07. Between 1999 and 2007, the Hornets won 59 straight home matches vs. Big Sky teams.
• Sacramento State's last Big Sky crown was a 2017 regular season championship, prior to falling in five sets in that season's Big Sky Tournament title match at home to North Dakota.
• The Hornets have finished .500 or above in league play seven straight seasons, including a 10-6 mark each of the last two years. During that seven-plus year run, the Hornets have combined for an 86-37 Big Sky record, including a 53-7 mark at home.

Notables

• Libero Caty Cordano, who currently leads the Big Sky with 5.50 digs per set in league play, needs just 37 digs for 1,000 in her career. Cordano's 5.50 dps is easily the top mark in the league as Portland State's Ellie Snook is second at 5.00 per set. Cordano set the program record with 43 digs earlier this season at Northern Arizona.
• Outside hitter Bridgette Smith (3.80 kps) narrowly trails Montana's Paige Clark (3.97 kps) for most kills per set in Big Sky play. Smith had sat in first place all season until last week.
• Middle blocker Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin continues to lead the Big Sky with 1.22 blocks per set, and her overall mark of 95 blocks rank 23rd in the nation. Kamba-Griffin has gone three straight matches with less than four blocks, the first time that has happened all season.
• Middle blocker Kalani Hayes ranks fifth in the Big Sky in blocks (1.00 bps) and eighth in hitting percentage (.311). The Hornets have won each of the last seven matches when she has at least seven kills.
• Outside hitter Caitlin Volkmann, who has started all 20 matches, has at least seven kills in all but three matches this season. That includes big production in two matches vs. Big Sky opposition - 20 at Idaho, and 15 at Northern Arizona.
• Outside hitter Bridgette Smith, a first team all-Big Sky performer a year ago, is now fully healthy after an ankle injury left her sidelined or limited in nine straight matches from Aug. 31-Sept. 17. She has notched 10+ kills in seven of the last eight matches, and currently ranks second in the Big Sky with 3.80 kills per set. Smith, a primary passer and full rotation outside hitter, currently ranks 36th in the nation with 34 aces.
• Setter Ashtin Olin, who has been named second team all-Big Sky each of the last four years, is now 42nd in the nation with 747 assists. She averages 0.63 kills, 9.34 assists, 2.53 digs & 0.81 blocks per set.
• Rightside hitter Ellie Tisko was a major factor in the Hornets' win at Idaho State last Saturday. She finished with 11 kills and nine digs while hitting .421. That included 10 kills and a .533 hitting percentage over the final two sets alone. Prior to the Idaho State match, Tisko had combined for seven kills over her previous four matches.
• The Hornets rank in the top 20 in the nation in two categories, including 18th in total blocks (200) and 19th in total aces (141).
• Sacramento State leads the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.145) in league play. Each of the last four Hornet opponents have hit below .140.