The Week Ahead

• Sacramento State (12-9, 5-3) is back at home for a pair of matches this week - Thursday vs. Idaho (1-19, 0-9) at 7 p.m. on Halloween Night, and Saturday vs. Eastern Washington (10-9, 6-3) at 1 p.m.
• Saturday's match is part of a tripleheader on the Sacramento State campus that also features the men's soccer team hosting UC Davis at 3 p.m., and football hosting Portland State at 6 p.m.
• At 5-3, Sacramento State is at the midway point of the conference season. Of the team's remaining eight league matches, four will come at home, and four will be on the road.
• This week's matches are the only time the Hornets will play in the Nest over a five-week stretch. Sacramento State spent the previous two weeks on the road, and will hit the road again for another two weeks after this week's slate.
• The Hornets lost both games last week on the road: 3-2 at Weber State, 3-1 at Idaho State.
• It marks just the third time all season the Hornets have lost back-to-back contests. Sacramento State will look to avoid dropping three straight matches on Thursday.
• Last week's losses dropped the Hornets in the Big Sky standings from a tie for first place all the way down to fifth place. However, despite the fifth place showing, they are only 2.5 games back of first.
• The top teams at the halfway point of the Big Sky season look like this: Northern Colorado (8-1), Idaho State (7-2), Eastern Washington (6-3), Weber State (6-3), Hornets (5-3) and Montana State (5-4).
• The Hornets beat Eastern Washington in Cheney on Sept. 28, but since that time, the Eagles have won six of their last seven matches. The lone exception was a home loss to first-place Northern Colorado.
• The top eight teams in the Big Sky qualify for the conference tournament, which will be hosted by Sacramento State on Thanksgiving Week (Nov. 27-29). The Hornets are the tournament host because of winning last season's Big Sky regular season title.
• The Hornets are 6-1 at home (3-1 in Big Sky play). That lone loss came via 3-2 (17-15 in the fifth) score to Northern Colorado. The Hornets looked to have the match won at 15-13, but a controversial call by the up official thwarted the victory. A call that could not be challenged.
• The Hornets have used the same starting lineup in every match this season - Kate Doorn at setter, Bridgette Smith and Caitlin Volkmann at outside hitter, Ashlynn Archer and Karlie Spohn at middle blocker, Ellie Tisko on the right side, and both Reese Ampi and Abbey Kadillak at libero.
• Since 2015, Sacramento State has combined for a 108-47 conference record (.697 winning percentage). That includes Big Sky regular season championships in 2023 and 2017.
• Head coach Ruben Volta, in his 17th season with the program, received a three-year contract extension earlier this week. Volta has been named Big Sky Coach of the Year three times during his tenure.

Multimedia Options

• Every match the remainder of the season will air on ESPN+.
• For the fourth straight year, all of Sacramento State's home matches, as well as road games at a Big Sky Conference venue, will stream on ESPN+.
• Multimedia links, including video, live stats and tickets, can be found next to each match on the volleyball schedule at hornetsports.com.

vs. This Week's Opponents

• Idaho, which experienced turmoil during the offseason that resulted in its head coach resigning in late May, enters the week with a 1-19 overall record and 0-9 mark in the Big Sky. The Vandals have dropped 13 straight, and have not won since a 3-1 road victory at Siena on Sept. 13.
• The Hornets are 12-6 overall vs. Idaho, and have won eight straight meetings. The Hornets have not lost to the Vandals since a five-set road defeat in Moscow during the 2019 season.
• Sacramento State swept the season series a year ago, posting three-set sweeps at home and away.
• The Hornets are 6-2 at home vs. the Vandals, including five straight wins in the Nest. The last home loss came in five sets during the 2018 season.
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• Eastern Washington enters the week with a 10-9 overall record, and 6-3 in league play. The Eagles have been one of the league's hottest teams, winning six of their last seven matches.
• The Hornets defeated the Eagles in four sets on Sept. 28, but Eastern Washington has lost just one match since that point. EWU is 4-4 on the road, including 3-1 vs. Big Sky teams. The Eagles have posted road wins at Idaho, Montana State and Montana.
• The Hornets are 44-18 all-time vs. Eastern Washington, and have won seven straight in the series. That includes a 28-6 record at home.
• The Eagles' last win in the series came in five sets in the Nest on Nov. 2, 2019.
• Since joining the Big Sky in 1996, Sacramento State's biggest rival has been Eastern Washington. Though the rivalry has simmered over the years, the two teams hated each other for a decade.
• In fact, Sacramento State and Eastern Washington squared off in the Big Sky Tournament championship match in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. The Hornets defeated the Eagles in each of those matchups except 2001. That includes victories on the Eagles' home floor from 2002-04.

Outside Hitter Tandem Playing Big

• Starting outside hitters Bridgette Smith and Caitlin Volkmann have been an incredible duo.
• Overall, Smith leads the Big Sky in kills per set (3.83) while Volkmann leads the league in kills per set in conference play with 4.15 kps.
• The tandem currently ranks among the Big Sky's top three players in kills per set both overall and conference, the only duo in the league to currently boast that feat.
• In conference play, the tandem takes up the top two spots in points per set. Volkmann is second at 4.70 pps, and Smith is third at 4.62 pps.
• Either Smith (11 times) or Volkmann (9 times) has led the team in kills in all but one match this season. Ellie Tisko paced the team in kills in the win over CSU Bakersfield.
• Both players are fifth-year seniors. Smith ranks fourth in program history with 1,609 career kills. Smith also has 1,172 digs, and is one of 13 players in school history to be in the 1,000/1,000 club.
• Volkmann has 1,287 career kills, the 12th best mark in program history.

Hornet Notables

• Sacramento State has combined for just four blocks over the last two matches. Prior to that, the team had posted at least five blocks in every conference match. That includes three times in double figures.
• The Hornets, who employ a 6-2 offense, have two setters which have over 1,000 career assists in a Sacramento State uniform after Hailey Plugge accomplished the feat last week. Kate Doorn has 1,209 assists in a Hornet uniform, while Plugge has 1,012 assists. Doorn spent her freshman season at Idaho (2022) before transferring to Sacramento State. Plugge spent three years at Wichita State (2020-22).
• The Hornets use two liberos, as Reese Ampi (2.59 dps) is employed on defense, and Abbey Kadillak (0.94 dps) is used on serve receive. Doorn has double-doubles in three of her last four matches.
• Rightside hitter Ellie Tisko is third on the team with 2.12 kills per set in league play. She has at least seven kills in all but one Big Sky match thus far. That includes 10 kills at Eastern Washington.
• Middle blocker Ashlynn Archer is hitting a team-high .308, and has started every match this season. The junior spent the last two years backing up a pair of first team all-Big Sky middle blockers.
• In Big Sky play, when the Hornets hit better than .240 as a team, they are 5-0. When hitting under that mark, the team is 0-3.