SACRAMENTO -- Both Bridgette Smith (15) and Ellie Tisko (11) had double figures in kills, but it was not enough as the Hornets fell to Saint Mary's, 3-1 (25-19, 25-18, 24-26, 25-20), on Monday evening at the Nest.

Sacramento State had its three-match winning streak, and was playing the finale of a seven-match homestand to open the season. The Hornets went 5-2 on the homestand, and will make their first road trip of the year later this week when they travel to Florida.

Sacramento State matched its season high with 14.0 team blocks, but was limited to 44 kills and a .126 hitting percentage. In addition, the Hornets had 12 service errors, easily their most of the season. Saint Mary's, conversely, hit .250 with 54 kills and hit better than .230 in every set. Sacramento State hit below .150 in three of the four sets.

The Hornets did save a match point at 23-24 in the third, by running off three straight points to force a fourth set. Sacramento State jumped out to a 12-10 lead in the fourth, but Saint Mary's closed on a 15-8 run to win the set and match.

Smith's 15 kills accompanied six digs and two blocks, while Tisko had 11 kills, six digs and five blocks. Six different Hornets registered multiple blocks, including middles Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin (7) and Kalani Hayes (6). Hayes also had eight kills. Libero Caty Cordano led all players with 18 digs to go along with two aces, and Caitlin Volkmann six kills and four blocks.

Setter Kate Doorn had 16 assists, five digs and three aces, while Hailey Plugge finished with 19 assists and five digs.

Sacramento State will travel to Gainesville later this week for a three-day tournament hosted by Florida.

The Hornets open the tournament Thursday against Florida (ranked third in the nation) at 4 p.m. PDT, followed by Friday vs. Winthrop at 1 p.m. PDT, and Saturday vs. Clemson at 10 a.m. PDT. Of the three matches, only Thursday's match at Florida will have a video stream.