The Week Ahead

• Entering its third week of the young season, Sacramento State (2-4) will compete at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego on Friday and Saturday. The two-day event will feature four teams, including the Hornets, Maryland, Arizona and tournament host San Diego State.
• The Hornets open on Friday with matches against Arizona (1 p.m.) and Maryland (4 p.m.), and Saturday at San Diego State (2:30 p.m.).
• Sacramento State, which has been riddled with injuries of late, is in the midst of a stretch that will see the team play eight straight matches away from home.
• The Hornets have played without two starters the last three matches in outside hitter Bridgette Smith and rightside hitter Karlee Soderberg (injuries). Smith, a six-rotation outside hitter, did play sparingly in the back row at UC Davis on Monday as she works her way back to full strength.
• At the time of her injury, Smith, a first team all-Big Sky Conference selection last season, had registered 15+ kills in each of the first three matches, and was leading the league with 4.38 kills per set.
• Soderberg is averaging 2.31 kills, 0.85 blocks and a .333 hitting percentage, and had registered at least nine kills in each of the first three matches.
• Most recently, the Hornets played three times over a six-day span, which included a road win at Saint Mary's (3-0) on Wednesday, home loss to San Jose State (3-0) on Saturday, and a road loss on Monday at rival UC Davis (3-1).
• Arizona (4-1), Maryland (4-2) and San Diego State (2-4) will bring a combined record of 10-7 into this week's matches.
• Sacramento State ranks among the Big Sky's top three teams in blocks (1st, 2.78 bps), kills (3rd; 12.57 kps), assists (3rd; 11.22 aps) and hitting percentage (3rd; .222).
• Of the Hornets' four losses, the team has been swept just once. That came against San Jose State, and two of those sets were decided via 29-27 and 25-22 scores.
• After hitting .178 through its first two matches, Sacramento State has hit above the .240 mark in three of the last four contests. That includes a .348 percentage against Saint Mary's, and .367 vs. San Jose State. The Hornets' .222 season mark is 36 percentage points higher than the opposition's .186 mark.
• The Hornets do not play in the Nest again until the Big Sky home opener vs. Idaho State on Sept. 24.

Multimedia Options

• It's is still unclear if San Diego State will provide a video stream for any of Sacramento State's three matches at the tournament. If video streams do happen, it would likely be through YouTube.
• Reminder that all multimedia links, 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 or away - this year.
• For the second straight season, all home matches, and every match played at a Big Sky Conference venue, will be streamed on ESPN+. Matches on ESPN+ can be found on watchespn.com and the ESPN app.

vs. This Week's Opponents

• Arizona will bring a 4-1 record into Friday's matchup with the Hornets. The Wildcats had their four-match winning streak snapped with a five-set loss at North Carolina on Saturday.
• Sacramento State is 1-5 all-time against Arizona, and the Wildcats have won three straight in the series. The teams' last matchup was a 3-1 Arizona win in Tucson in 2019. In a series which dates back to 1985, Sacramento State's lone win came during the 1999 season in Tucson (3-1 victory).
• Maryland brings a 4-2 record into this week's tournament. A member of the Big 10 Conference, the Terps have posted three-set sweeps in each of their four victories.
• The Hornets and Terps have not played each other since the 2000 season. The series is tied at 1-1, with Sacramento State winning in Stockton in 2000 (3-0), and Maryland winning by a three-set sweep at the NIVC in 1992.
• San Diego State, members of the Mountain West Conference, brings a 2-4 record into the tournament. The Aztecs have dropped three straight, which includes losses to Baylor, Pepperdine and UC Santa Barbara. Their two wins came at home over Army and UC San Diego.
• The Hornets and Aztecs have played just once, and that was a 3-1 Sacramento State victory in the Nest on Nov. 12, 1994.

Block Party

• Sacramento State currently ranks 20th in the nation in blocks - and first in the Big Sky - with an average of 2.78 stuffs per set.
• The Hornets are the only team in the Big Sky to have three players rank among the conference's top 10 in blocks per set. That includes middles Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin (2nd; 1.48 bps) and Kalani Hayes (8th; 1.13 bps). Ashtin Olin is ninth with 1.09 blocks per set, a very impressive number for a setter.
• The Hornets have tallied at least 8.0 team blocks in every match this season, which includes a whopping 18.0 vs. Nevada in four sets in the season opener.
• The blocking prowess has helped the Hornets limit the opposition to a .186 hitting percentage.

Lots Of Notables

• Setter Ashtin Olin, the owner of four double-doubles this season, currently ranks among the Big Sky's top 10 players in three different categories. That includes third in assists (9.91 aps), ninth in blocks (1.09 bps) and 10th in digs (3.26 dps).
• Middle blocker Kalani Hayes continues to lead the Big Sky with a .384 hitting percentage. The junior has hit better than .330 in all but one match, including .476 vs. Middle Tennessee, .500 vs. San Jose State, and .800 at Saint Mary's. She averages 1.83 kills and 1.13 blocks per set.
• Outside hitter Caitlin Volkmann has led the Hornets in kills in each of the last two matches, and over that span, is averaging 4.23 kills per set. That includes 16 vs. San Jose State, and a double-double (14 kills, 10 digs) at UC Davis.
• True freshman Greta Davis continues to play well, having registered double figures in kills in three straight matches. Since being inserted into the starting lineup for the injured Bridgette Smith, Davis went for 10 kills vs. both Saint Mary's and San Jose State, and 11 more at UC Davis.
• Libero Caty Cordano has tallied at least 11 digs in every match this season, and currently ranks second in the Big Sky with 4.22 digs per set. That included 25 digs in the season opener vs. Nevada.
• Ellie Tisko, inserted into the starting lineup on the right side for the injured Karlee Soderberg, had seven kills, two blocks and a .400 hitting percentage in her first start of the season at Saint Mary's.
• True freshman middle blocker Ashlynn Archer has played in five sets over the last two matches and has produced to the tune of 1.20 kills and 0.60 blocks per set to go along with a .600 hitting percentage (6-0-10). The hard-hitting Archer has yet to make an error in her 10 attacks.
• Middle blocker Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin has posted at least four blocks in all but one match this year, and at least six blocks in four of the Hornets' six contests.