STOCKTON, Calif. -- Pacific limited Sacramento State to a season-low hitting percentage of .096 on the way to a 3-1 victory over the Hornets (25-21, 24-26, 25-16, 25-9) in the third and final round of the Central Cal Challenge.
Sacramento State concluded the three-day tourney with a 1-2 record, and will take a 7-7 overall mark into Big Sky Conference play next week. Today marked the Hornets' final non-league match of the regular season. The Hornets beat CSU Bakersfield to open tournament play on Thursday, before falling to Fresno State and Pacific.
Sacramento State's 34 kills were its second lowest total of the season, and the hitting percentage was easily a season low. The Hornets did have 10.0 team blocks, including a match-best eight from
Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin, but it was not nearly enough against a Pacific squad that had 57 kills, a .206 hitting percentage, and outdug Sacramento State, 71-59.
The Tigers also dominated from the service line with 11 aces compared to one for the Hornets. The one ace was a season low for a Hornet squad that is averaging 1.33 service aces per set this year.
In the Hornets' victorious second set, Sacramento State saved a set point at 23-24, running off three straight points, including back-to-back blocks from Kamba-Griffin at 24-24 and 25-24. However, it was all Pacific in the third and fourth sets.
For the first time all season, Sacramento State failed to have a player finish with more than seven kills.
Karlee Soderberg,
Caitlin Volkmann and
Bridgette Smith each had seven kills, while Soderberg hit a team-high .333 and Smith added 12 digs.
Caty Cordano had a team-high 17 digs,
Kalani Hayes had six kills and two blocks, and
Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin posted a pair of kills to go with the match-best eight blocks. No other player on the floor from either team had more than four blocksNelson. Setters
Hailey Plugge (19 ast, 6 digs) and
Kate Doorn (11 ast, 4 digs) combined for 30 assists and 10 digs.
Sacramento State will open Big Sky play next week with a home match on Thursday vs. Northern Arizona at 7 p.m., followed by a Saturday road contest at Weber State at 1 pm PT.
