GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Sacramento State stormed back from 2-0 sets deficit to eventually beat Winthrop, 3-2 (20-25, 18-25, 25-13, 25-20, 15-9), on Friday afternoon at Eactech Arena.

It marked the first time the Hornets have come back from a 2-0 sets deficit to win since taking down Idaho on the road on Oct. 2, 2021.

Sacramento State improved to 6-3 overall, and 1-1 at the Gator Invitational - a three-day tournament hosted by Florida. The Hornets opened the tournament yesterday with a five-set loss to 3rd-ranked Florida. Sacramento State concludes the event tomorrow vs. Clemson at 9 a.m. PT.

Sizable runs highlighted the ends of both the fourth and fifth sets. That included a 9-5 run in the fourth that stretched a 16-15 advantage to a 25-20 win. In the fifth, the Hornets trailed, 6-5, but finished on a 10-3 run. The Hornets had nine kills in the final set, including three apiece from Bridgette Smith and Ellie Tisko. Conversely, Winthrop had five kills with four errors and a .048 hitting percentage.

The two teams combined for 19 aces, including 10 for Sacramento State. The Hornets had healthy advantages over Winthrop in kills (62-48), assists (56-46) and digs (78-71).

Four Hornets had double figures in kills, including Smith (15 kills, 13 digs, 3 blk), Caitlin Volkmann (14 kills), Kalani Hayes (10 kills, 4 blk) and Tisko (10 kills, 14 digs, 3 aces). Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin added seven kills, six digs and three blocks.

Five Sacramento State players had double figures in digs, comprised of Smith, Tisko, Caty Cordano (20)Hailey Plugge (11 digs, 30 ast, 3 aces) and Kate Doorn (10 digs, 16 ast, 2 aces).